Newnan Theatre Company proves why OTP isn’t all that bad
Whenever a suburban theatre company is doing a show that seems risky for a small town, or simply just isn’t the normal runs of the same plays we have all seen so many times (I think we can all agree that the Odd Couple has been beaten to death), I get excited. It is the motivation I need to leave the city and head onto the highways to places that would have never been on my radar to visit. Newnan Theatre Company did that this weekend with their current show Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story. When you combine a musical with true crime drama, I can not say no.
It is a dark show about two young men, teenagers really, who murder a young boy just for the thrill of it. It is based in truth, all terrible, and has an amazing twist in the end. It is definitely an unexpected choice for a small company, in a small suburban area in the South. Maybe NTC did it for the thrill as well. It must be difficult to find ways to please your audience, but also maintain artistic freedom. And with an audience made up of mostly older members of society, especially a Southern country one, those “approved” choices can be artistically dreadful.
Directed by Paul Conroy, this two man show with “mature content” proved why small theaters should take such risks. Even with zero salary, funding (except donations), NTC pulled in a new show to the area, and a new cast and crew of talented people. The set design in their black box was eerie and perfect for the simulation of the transitioning scenes of this one act play. Jacob Demlow (Nathan Leopold) and Devin Johnson (Richard Loeb) fit perfectly into their roles of over privileged, sexually confused teenagers who had a lot to prove, and a lot to lose, during a hard era, especially for homosexual men. They were tied to one another in horrific ways, and were, in the end, each others demise due to their own insecurities.
The music, though seemingly playing it safe and simple in terms of lyrics and tune, weren’t as off putting or unsettling or laughable with such serious content. It is hard to imagine a musical about two men going on crime sprees and murdering a young child as working, but it does. There is just enough music mixed with dialogue to keep in from edging into an awkward zone of false emotion.
I had never been to NTC, had never even heard of it before. But this small theatre outside the perimeter will be a mainstay for keeping an eye on their seasons. Thrill Me is running until April 13. For more information, visit http://www.newnantheatre.org.
