MOLINE, ILLINOIS (January 29, 2024) — The downtown Moline theatre, The Black Box, begin their eighth season with the chamber musical Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story with a book, music, and lyrics by Stephen Dolginoff. New for the theatre this year is a three-week run of each production.
The musical stars Adam Cerny and Daniel Williams with Musical Direction by Ron May and Direction and Design by BBT co-founder and Artistic Director, Lora Adams.
Based on the true story of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, dubbed "thrill killers" by the newspapers of the time, who kidnapped and murdered fourteen-year-old Bobby Franks in Chicago, Illinois, on May 21, 1924. They, particularly Loeb, had become enamored of the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche and his concept of “supermen," once writing, "A superman. . . is, on account of certain superior qualities inherent in him, exempted from the ordinary laws which govern men. He is not liable for anything he may do." May 2024 is the 100th anniversary of the “crime of the century.”
“I first heard about the case from my mother. She had been the manicurist to one of their brothers,” said director, Adams. “I am really happy to bring it to The Black Box because it is an intimate musical that fits perfectly into the intimacy of the theatre itself.”
This is the second time she and May have collaborated on the show.
Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story runs February 9 to 24. Shows run Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Sundays at 2PM; all other performances at 7:30PM. Tickets are available at theblackboxtheatre.com.
