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2008-03-10

by CJ Johnson

'Dickie and Babe: The Truth About Leopold and Loeb'

Article

The 1920s was America’s first truly modern decade. It’s obsession with youth culture and rebellion against the Victorian establishment and gluttonous lust for life itself set a standard that has been emulated by each subsequent generation — rarely to be equaled. And so it is not surprising that, at this auspicious beginning of Modern America, we were given a barrage of firsts: our first radios, our first talking pictures, our first superstars and even our first super trial. You know: those cases that come along once every five years or so to saturate our headlines and shock us into a frenzied state of immediacy, only to end up desensitizing us by overstaying its welcome. Before there was OJ, before there were the Mendes Brothers, there were Leopold and Loeb.

Written and directed by Daniel Henning, the Blank Theatre Group’s multi-award winning artistic director, Dickie and Babe: The Truth About Leopold and Loeb' is a passionate journey, uncovering truth behind the sensationalized 1924 murder trial. Henning spent the better of two years dedicated to researching the case itself as well as the respective lives of the notorious duo, embarking upon a fervent labor of love to bring to life what has, for the past 80 years, remained buried under years of ambiguity. Henning’s result is a riveting two-hour psychological drama that explodes on the Blank’s compact stage, bringing to magnetic life Leopold and Loeb’s complex emotional and physical relationship.

The lifeblood of the show, of course, is the boys themselves: Nathan “Babe” Leopold (Aaron Himelstein) who’s rational, bookish genius is in every way the antithesis of Richard “Dickie” Loeb (Nick Niven) and his destructively reckless but brilliant mind. Together, their combined intelligences “complete” each other. Obsessed with their Nietzsche-esque ideas of being supermen amongst men, and fueled by a turbulent yet torrid physical need for the other, these otherwise attractive and brilliant men embark upon a plan to manifest their supremacy amongst mortals by planning the “perfect crime.” This leads to the thrill killing of a 14-year old Bobby Franks, climaxing frenetically with Henning’s tightly written trial — entirely based on documented fact — including the famous “whispered testimony” (the explicit details of the boys affair were deemed too “shocking” for newspapers) which catapulted the trial into infamy.

The script itself is kinetic — rich with lustful subtext in each beautifully weighted measure, not to mention flawless attention to historic detail. (Seldom have words like “bushwa” or “swell” sounded so natural and modern.) Dickie and Babe also has the good fortune of being backed by a solid supporting case. Michael Urie -- perhaps best known for his prime-time television gig Ugly Betty -- is here able to shed the superficial neurosis of his best known role for that of no-nonsense prosecution attorney Robert Crowe. The accomplished Weston Blakelsey takes on famed defense attorney Clarence Darrow, whose closing speech is an influential historical benchmark in the argument against capital punishment. Vicki Lewis too is a delight, especially when she gets her Flapper on — channeling most effectively (whether intentionally or not) Irene Dunne in The Awful Truth.

It’s work like Henning’s Dickie and Babe that, not only reminds me of why I love LA theater, but acts as a sedative for any worries I may harbor about the state of the art form itself: Dickie and Babe is a wonderful testament to the fact that LA theater is very much alive, and what’s more, is in some very good hands.

Dickie and Babe: The Truth About Leopold and Loeb is now playing an extended run through March 30th at the Blank Theatre Company: 6500 Santa Monica Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90038. For tickets call 323/661.9827 or visit www.theblank.com