REVIEW: THRILL ME @ WATERLOO EAST THEATRE

🎭 Thrill Me

📍 Waterloo East Theatre, Brad Street, London, SE1 8TN

🗓 Friday 17th April 2026

⭐️ 3 Stars

STELLAR LEADS, STATIC SCORE

It's been a long fifteen years since THRILL ME last graced a London stage, and I have to say, Waterloo East Theatre feels like the perfect home for it. That intimate, under the arches setting is just what you need for a piece this claustrophobic.

Now, a musical about a real-life murder of a 14-year-old boy isn't exactly everyone's cup of tea, but this show is less about the crime and more about the twisted, complicated psychological power play between the two killers.

The story kicks off in 1924 Chicago where we meet Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb. It's framed around Nathan's parole hearing decades later, as he recounts their "contract". Nathan agrees to be Richard's accomplice in increasingly dangerous crimes - from arson to, eventually, murder - in exchange for Richard's physical affection. It's a dark quid pro quo that spirals into the infamous "perfect crime" that wasn't.

But here's where I struggled. For a show called THRILL ME, I didn't quite get the thrill I was promised. My main gripe was the sheer volume of songs. They were constant, and if I'm honest, they were too long and all started to sound the same after a while. There's a high-stakes phone call between the two that would have worked brilliantly as a tense, acted scene, but instead it's sung, which I felt just stripped away all the urgency.

The fact that it's just a solo piano providing the accompaniment didn't help with that repetitive, slightly mundane feeling. It stripped any depth from the music and it started to feel more like a cabaret set than serious, gritty theatre. Some of the lyrics were questionable too. When Richard sang about his reasons for wanting to kill his younger brother, there was actually some laughter from the audience, not the response that I think was wanted. I also felt that some of the rhyming in the songs was tenuous at best. I really think less is more here. I'd rather have had fewer songs and more scripted scenes. When these two were allowed to just act, they really showed off what they could do.

And they are good. Both actors nailed their characterisations and kept up convincing Chicago accents. Rufus Kampa is wonderfully chilling as the manipulative, Nietzsche-obsessed Loeb, and you truly believe that Jamie Kaye's Nathan is hopelessly, dangerously in love with him. Kaye in particular has a beautiful voice that is a total joy to listen to, and his harmonies with Kampa are just glorious.

Technically, it's a bit of a mixed bag. The staging is simplistic but somehow feels unnecessarily busy - I'm not sure all those set pieces were actually needed. The lighting worked well to keep things atmospheric and shadowy, though the sound did suffer a bit whenever the actors got too close to each other.

Stephen Dolginoff's writing fluctuates quite a bit for me. Some parts felt rushed while others were really drawn out, so the story didn't quite flow. As a bit of a true crime geek, I also felt it was a missed opportunity not to include the actual trial. The work of the defense team in the real case is fascinating, and I would have loved to have seen that brought into the mix.

It's worth the trip to Waterloo for the performances alone - Jamie Kaye is definitely one to watch - but as a whole, it just didn't quite hit the mark for me personally.

Performances of THRILL ME continue at Waterloo East Theatre until Sunday 10th May. Click here for tickets.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one reviewer.  

My ticket for this performance of Thrill Me was gifted by Waterloo East Theatre who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given. 

CAST:

Jamie Kaye as Nathan Leopold; Rufus Kampa as Richard Loeb

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour 20 minutes, with no interval

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Violence towards children; Sexual dynamics and coercion; Criminal acts; Psychological intensity; Explicit language

AGE RECOMMENDATION:

18 +

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