Josie Krueger
Entertainment Editor
Written by John Logan and taking place in mid-1920s Chicago, “Never the Sinner” will be performed by the drama department on Oct. 19, 20, and 21 at 7 p.m. This is the 2017 Fall Main Stage Play.
Senior Elliot Williams, with the role of Nathan Leopold, said, “It’s a historical piece about the 1924 Leopold and Loeb Murder Case,” the basic plot consisting of “a contract between two teenage boys, consisting of an equal exchange of sexual activity for criminal activity.”
“Never the Sinner” is polar opposite to “The Little Mermaid,” the most recent fall play performed at WGHS. It is a well-known but rarely produced play because of the controversial and dark topics it embodies. As well as dark topics, there are also relevant topics.
Todd Schaefer, drama teacher, said, “It’s a death penalty case… One of the longest running debates of mankind: whether we as the state should ever hop into the shoes of the killer and become killers ourselves.
“The other part of it is, it’s about these two kids that were reading Nietzsche. Nietzsche is the same book Hitler was reading; it’s the same book that the guys in Charlottesville who murdered that girl by running her over were reading. The (Ku Klux Klan) reads it. The white supremacist groups are all about this mentality of white supremacy, coming from(Nietzsche’s) idea of the superman. We need to realize from this day and age, we are almost to the 100-year mark from this case, and we are no further along in society. We still have groups living a philosophy that was never intended to be lived.”
This play is also different from others in how it’s presented. The story is told out of chronological order, moving to a completely different time every scene.
Schaefer said, “Very cool minimum staging for a very epic play. It’s told that way on purpose because you have to move through time so effortlessly…You have to give (the audience) an inkling and let them fill in the blanks.”
Schaefer suggests people that like “Law and Order SVU” will appreciate this play. This is also a must-see for people who enjoy arguing about controversial topics.
The tickets are $7 for students and $10 for adults.
Schaefer said, “Really what I want the audience to do is, I want them to weigh out the death penalty argument. I want them to leave this theater asking: ‘Should we kill or not kill?’ I hope the audience walks away pondering that question.”
See Also: Slideshow–Drama department presents Fall Main Stage Play
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