Never the Sinner: The Leopold and Loeb Story presented by Project 891 Theatre Company at CIC Theater

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Director Michael Rashid's staging for the fledgling Project 891 Theatre Company is erratically paced. But Ron Popp and Matt Hays are engrossing as Leopold and Loeb--simultaneously creepy and sympathetic as they chart the lovers' shifting dynamics of dominance and submission. Gary Murphy is strong as Clarence Darrow, whose defense turned "the trial of the century" into a powerful protest against capital punishment."

Windy City Times - Somewhat Recommended

"...It must be difficult to play a charismatic mad man like Loeb, and Matt Hays' approach shows more effort into playing crazy instead of honestly embodying the character. Yet there is no denying Hays' handsomeness, which provides a great motivation for Ron Popp's Leopold to obsessively dote on Loeb and do all his dangerous dares."

Centerstage - Recommended

"...The production is a clear, vigorous interpretation of the events - director Michael Rashid wisely avoids directorial tricks to keep the focus on the central couple. (Though his choice to put blackouts between each of the 20-plus scenes severely hurts the story's flow.) Matt Hays captures Loeb's dangerous energy, but misses the seduction that kept him above suspicion for so long. Anyone that obviously unhinged would have been caught immediately. Matt Popp's Leopold is more convincing—you can see the cold, emotionally starved boy who'd latch onto the slightest hint of excitement."

Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"...Despite limiting parameters, the newborn Project 891 manufactures an evening of first-rate theater. As Leopold and Loeb, Ron Popp and Matt Hays enthusiastically plunge into the script’s archetypes of freakazoid and heartbreaker, respectively. Gary Murphy, as defense attorney Clarence Darrow, likewise suffuses a potentially dreary model of middle-aged male stoicism with a welcome dose of wry skepticism. It’s Rashid’s design team, however—with stunning, gray-scale costumes from Liz Hoffman and eerily opulent filmic backdrops by Jim Vendiola—whose stark vision unites the evening into a gorgeous, coherent whole. Look forward to the moment when this collective finds material to match its talent."

Chicago Theater Beat - Recommended

"...The performances are the greatest power of the production. Matt Hays (Richard Loeb), Ron Popp (Nathan Leopold), Gary Murphy (Clarence Darrow), and Robert Kaercher (Robert Crowe) are its four pillars. Each actor has been cast with precision. Gary Murphy is pitch perfect as the weary, yet undaunted humanist Clarence Darrow. Matt Hays conveys Loeb’s boyish amoral enthusiasm with humorous but terrifying accuracy. Robert Kaercher’s States Attorney is the quintessential man of his times, in his demeanor, delivery, and over-reliance on expertise to prosecute criminals."