L and L month

On the topic of "it might make sense to know what your neighbor is doing," it strikes me as a little odd that two theater companies _ one long established, the other just starting out -- are both doing plays about thrill killers Nathan Leopold & Richard Loeb.

And it strikes me as further odd that the Blank Theatre Co.'s world premiere of "Dickie and Babe: The Truth About Leopold and Loeb" and the Havoc Theatre Co.'s musical "Thrill Me" will be playing at the same time and within blocks of each other on Hollywood's Theatre row.

Now "Thrill Me," with book, music and lyrics by Stephen Dolginoff and directed by Nick DeGruccio appears to be a two hander. Jan. 25-March 2 at the Hudson Backstage Theatre. (323) 960-4429, www.plays411/thrillme or www.havoktheatre.com

"Dickie and Babe," written by and directed by Blank AD Daniel Henning, will feature Michael Urie, Vicki Lewis, Charlie Schlatter and Nick Niven. It opens Feb. 2 and plays through March 16. www.theblank.com, (323) 661-9827.