Nathan Leopold 1924

March 1 Live On-line Performance of “In the Aftermath of Mercy”

I’ve been cast as Nathan Leopold, the lead character in the new play “In the Aftermath of Mercy”, which Virtual Arts will be broadcasting as a live on-stage* performance on-line on March 1, 2025 via its New Play Festival.

Check out the info and get tickets here.

Tickets are pay what you can, starting at $1 (plus the ticketing site fees).

You can also follow Virtual Arts on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virtual.arts.prods?igsh=Y2Y4dGJxNWdpZDU5

and Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/VirtualArtsProds/

*The actors will be performing in a studio space together; the performance will be caught on camera and broadcast live over the internet. Much like those old live Playhouse 90 theater performances in the early days of television.

You need to purchase only one ticket for any date that’s listed to get access to all the festival’s shows on Zoom plus recordings for one month after to view any show in case you missed the live performance.

Nathan Leopold is half of the famous murderous duo “Leopold and Loeb”, one of several “Crimes of the Century” that thrilled the nation. This one occurred in 1924 – Leopold and Loeb were wealthy, high society friends – and lovers – who killed 14 year old Bobby Franks for kicks? to prove their intellectual superiority? a folie a deux? Read the Wikipedia entry for an entry into the bizarre details.

The murder and trial fascinated the country and has permeated pop culture ever since (many works of fiction, including the Hitchcock classic “Rope” and the Indie classic “Swoon” are inspired by the Leopold and Loeb case.) The celebrated lawyer Clarence Darrow convinced the jury to spare Leopold and Loeb’s life and sentence them to life in prison.

Loeb was murdered in prison in 1936. Leopold was paroled in 1958 and worked as a medial technician in Puerto Rico.

The play “In the Aftermath of Mercy” is set during the time of Leopold’s parole. It begins on his last day in prison, then moves to Puerto Rico, where Leopold is assigned a psychiatrist who acts more like an adversary. The question of whether Leopold is truly repentant and rehabilitated hovers over every scene. Lingering by Leopold’s side, and visible and audible only to him, is Loeb. Is it Loeb’s ghost, or a reflection of Leopold’s psyche? Two battles of wills are fought, between Leopold and the psychiatrist and between Leopold and Loeb.

Nathan Leopold 1924 mugshot

Nathan Leopold 1958

Virtual Arts asked me to provide them with a short video introduction, which they have been sharing on their Instagram account:

UPDATE: The performance has aired. Watch excerpts HERE.