Thrill Me Tickets

In the 1920s two men would commit a crime that, whilst abhorrent, would capture the imaginations of creative minds for decades to come. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, known as the ‘thrill killers’ would murder Bobby Franks in what they described as the perfect murder and since then their act would inspire countless pieces of fiction, from the famous play “Rope” – which was adapted to the screen as Alfred Hitchcock’s first colour movie – to more recent movies like “Kiss the Girls”. But this legacy has not died out and the Charing Cross Theatre in London is now the home to another production based on their famous murder – “Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story” – which depicts these accounts through flashback.

Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb committed their 1920s murder having read up on Nietzsche’s concept of a ‘superman’ – someone who would stand high above everyday morals of good and evil. They would then be sentenced to life in prison and “Thrill Me” picks matters up in 1958 when Nathan Leopold – the only surviving member of the duo by this point – attends a parole board meeting. So using this as a framing device we then learn of the events that led to them becoming some of the most infamous murderers of the 20th century.

The production will star Jye Frasca as Nathan Leopold and George Maguire as Richard Leob. The former has a range of West End credits to his name across the last decade and these include “West Side Story” at the Prince Edward Theatre, “Cats” at the New London Theatre, We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre, “Wicked” at the Apollo Victoria Theatre and, most famously, “Jersey Boys” at the Prince Edward Theatre. Maguire, meanwhile, has appeared in West End shows like “Oliver” at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Director Guy Retallack also has an impressive list of credits to his name – this year he directed “Thrill Me” when it was originally seen at the Tristan Bates Theatre and “Drowning on Dry Land” at the Jermyn Street Theatre. Prior to that his other credits include “Mother of Him” at the Courtyard Theatre, “Future Me” at Theatre503 and “The Man of Terror” at the Hampstead Theatre.

“Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story” began its run at the Charing Cross Theatre – formerly known as the New Players Theatre – on Tuesday 17^th May and continues to Saturday 11th June 2011.