Jonigkeit and Kurtas Are Loeb and Leopold in Philly Sinner | Playbill

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News Jonigkeit and Kurtas Are Loeb and Leopold in Philly Sinner Mauckingbird Theatre Company, Philadelphia's only professional theatre company devoted to gay-related work, opens John Logan's Never the Sinner: The Leopold and Loeb Story Aug. 13 after previews from Aug. 8.
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Never the Sinner stars Evan Jonigkeit and Brian Kurtas Photo by Jill McCorkel

Artistic director Peter Reynolds directs the crime drama about Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold Jr., who brutally murdered a 14-year-old boy in one of the most sensational crimes of the 1920s. Performances play to Aug. 30.

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According to production notes, "In the spring of 1924, two young Chicago millionaires set out to commit the perfect murder. Driven by passion and fevered intellect, handsome Richard Loeb, played by Evan Jonigkeit, and his lover, Nathan Leopold Jr., played by Brian Kurtas, brutally killed 14-year-old Bobby Franks, for the thrill of it. Known in its time as the crime of the century, the infamous Leopold and Loeb trial ignited a media frenzy, as legendary defense attorney Clarence Darrow, played by Dan Kern, fought to save the boys from execution and news of the merciless crime both horrified and captivated the nation."

Eric Kramer plays state's attorney Robert Crowe. Additional cast members include Jessica Bedford as Reporter 2, Robb Hutter as Reporter 1 and Matthew Lorenz as Reporter 3.

The Never the Sinner production team includes set and costume designer Marie Anne Chiment and lighting designer Maria Shaplin. This is the company's fourth production following Mauckingbird's lesbian adaptation of Hedda Gabler (2009) and the critically acclaimed all-male versions of The Misanthrope (2008) and Shakespeare's R & J (2008).

Before turning to a career in screenwriting, John Logan was a successful playwright in Chicago. Never the Sinner, his first play, opened to rave reviews at Chicago's Stormfield Theater in 1985. Around the country, the play went on to win the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play, and was nominated for the Helen Hayes Award for Best Play and the Drama League Award for Outstanding New Play.

Never the Sinner plays the Adrienne Theatre's Mainstage at 2030 Sansom Street in Philadelphia. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $15 for students and are available by calling the Mauckingbird Theatre Company box office at (215) 923-8909 or online at www.mauckingbirdtheatreco.org.

 
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