When Les Gutman told me he was going to be reviewing a play about the trial of the century --the one in which the legendary Clarence Darrow defended two teen agers who had committed a thrill crime -- I couldn't help wondering what could be worth yet another dramatic rehash of the Leopold and Loeb case. As Les' review made amply clear, however, this was far from a rehash but a distinctly fresh undertaking in terms of script, staging and performance.

When Les reviewed Proposals ( in his DC-October Report on which we did a Second Thoughts when it came to NYC), we knew Washington was its last stop before a planned New York landing. Never the Sinner's move from Arlington to Off-Broadway was a completely unexpected opportunity for us to compare notes. While widely produced since John Logan wrote it in 1985 and the recipient of the prestigious Joseph Jefferson Award in Chicago for outstanding new play, Never the Sinner's hope for reaching wider audiences rides on the foresight and courage of small theaters. Like the Signature Theatre! Like the American Jewish Theatre which has brought the Signature production almost 100% intact to West Twenty-Sixth Street! Except for changing the address and dates in our fact box at the end, and commenting briefly on two of the actors not from the earlier production cast, we have no disagreements with Les' review.

If we were to add anything to his praises it would be to comment on some of director Ethan McSweeney's noteworthy small touches; for example, the brief bits of dancing by Loeb and, most especially, the scene where Loeb forces the ever awkward Leopold to follow in his footsteps. A wonderfully symbolic bit of business! We'd also mention how much we enjoyed John Logan's phrasemanship; to wit, a reporter's description of the prosecutor as a "a slick symphony of sinewy ambition."

This is indeed a theatrical experience that holds us in its grip even though the outcome will for most be familiar. The surprise comes from the way the playwright and this creative team involve us in this enduringly fascinating human puzzle, sending us out the door satisfied even though none of the pieces have fallen into place. Given artistic director Stanley Brechner's track record for giving worthy plays a leg up to longer runs at larger venues, Never the Sinner, may with enough critical and word-of-mouth support enjoy not only a successful run at his little theater but at a second home further uptown (the American Place?!?).

A few comments on how the production fared in its move to the American Jewish Theatre. . .

• Since the American Jewish, like the Signature, is a small theater with a stage surrounded by three sections of seats, the designers were able to recreate the highly effective set and lighting. Unfortunately they were stuck with this venue's awkward columns. However, as those columns have not interfered with audiences' appreciation of good material presented in the past, they are minor annoyances in the production's overall success.
• I can't make comparisons between the three members of the DC cast and their NY replacements -- Robert Hogan as Clarence Darrow and Jurian Hughes as the female reporter #2 and Paul Mullins as reporter #1 -- but all play their parts with feeling and authenticity.
• As for the two young actors playing Leopold and Loeb, they are not just good, but brilliant. If being key players in a New York show is at all daunting, (as even Off-Broadway can be to unknown performers), it doesn't show. Their performances are self-assured and meticulous in every detail. Keep your eyes on Leopold's hands, fingertips touching and fidgeting in act one. Watch Loeb's hand snaking seductively across Leopold's cheeks. See the little muscle flickering in Loeb's cheek as his self-assured bravado begins to buckle. While this is not a play to recommend only for the acting, the acting certainly adds mightily to the sum of Never the Sinner's very solid parts.

If the play suffers from any flaws, it's a slight flagging in the pace during the second act. However, given what an enormous amount of information the playwright had to sift through (Darrow's actual summation ran to a hundred pages), you can appreciate how difficult it must have been to create this taut a drama from such a mass of data.

In case you're curious about the title, it comes from a line of dialogue by Darrow during a confrontation with the prosecutor:

I could see the sin . . . I could hate the sin . . .but never the sinner.