Los Angeles Review: Revenge Song is off-key
Jill Weinlein - Chief Los Angeles Theatre Critic
“Revenge Song” at the Geffen Playhouse tries too hard to be a historical, relevant, modern, funny, sexy, politically correct and crass musical, yet doesn’t achieve its goal. Commissioned by and developed with the Geffen, this off-kilter Vampire Cowboys theatre company has playwright Qui Nguyen collaborating with grad school colleague director Robert Ross Parker. It still needs refining, and seems more like a grad student production at UCLA’s Ralph Freud Playhouse, than something the Geffen should showcase.
Taking my 24 year old daughter with me, we did like the opening black and white cinematic short reminding the audience to turn off their cell phones. Scenic and lighting director Nick Francone’s set had pasted fliers on a chain link fence, and graffiti on the back brick wall, lending an edgy modern tone to this European story taking place in 1695, Paris, France.
The actors rap and wave French flags in this swashbuckling real life story of a queer 17th century French swordswoman Julie d’Aubigny (Margaret Odette). Odette is a kick ass woman who has to stand on her own two feet, as told by the hyper-sexualized Madame de Senneterre (Amy Kim Waschke). She reminded me of the gender-bending Master of Ceremonies in the 1972 “Cabaret.” Dressed as a dominatrix in black vinyl, she seductively clues the audience in about Julie, “She floats in between destruction and desire. Too strong to be with men, but too weak to be with women.”
For those offended by sex, violence or explicit language, this show is sprinkled with forced scenes that incorporate all three, and is not recommended to those under the age of 14.
Julie engages in daring and romantic adventures with almost every character, often with ostentatious bravado and flamboyance, as the play jumps around in time. It goes from historic to more modern day scenes, such as a shopping mall with pop song “I Think We're Alone Now” by 1980s star Tiffany, as a silly love triangle begins between Julie and Albert (Eugene Young) and Emily (Beth Hawkes). When Julie and Emily sing a duo together, it’s more like watching community theatre.
Then the show jumps 10 years back when Julie, who at the age of 14 resents the inequality of women, and begs her father (Noshir Dalal) to work.. At first he refuses, because it is 1685 and woman can be one of two things: a wife or a nun. As Julie rants about how her father would treat her differently if she were a boy, Dalal has the best singing voice in the show as he sings about his promise to take care of his daughter. When her loving father helps disguise her as a boy to work in the stables as a page, puppet and creature designer David Valentine has puppets appear onstage in a silly song and dance number.
Julie’s father doesn’t protect his beloved daughter, when the stable master, nasty Count Louis de Lorraine (Tom Myers) discovers Julie is actually a teenage girl, and makes her his personal servant and bed companion. Costume designer Jessica Shay dresses the Count to look a bit like Elton John.
Flash to Albert, a nobleman who challenges Julie to a duel, she fights back hard and wounds him. While nursing him back to health, they become friends with benefits. Later Albert helps Julie rescue Emily after she is sent to a convent, and soon Julie and Emily take their relationship one step further too.
Even though a few Geffen patrons didn’t return back to their seats after intermission, we stayed and endured Albert and Julie walking down the theatre aisle to take their seats, as we all watched mediocre singer Gaulard (Tom Myers) perform a lackluster show. At times the interaction between the actors seemed like part of a SNL skit.
When Gaulard storms off the stage, Julie is given a chance to keep the theatre alive. Dressed as a superhero in head-to-toe gold with a silver cape, she raps an unmemorable song and falls in love with the theatre owner (Waschke).
When “Eight Years Ago” is displayed, the cast come out in outlandish period costumes with a few modern day touches, and perform an engaging and creative comic book live feed sequence, before a romping fight scene with Joan Jett’s classic song “Bad Reputation” in the background.
Odette has a strong stage presence and is fun to watch, yet the show would work better in a smaller theatre in Hollywood or West Hollywood than at the Geffen Playhouse. It tries to appeal to a younger audience, yet as a rainbow colored shooting star flashed across the stage, the audience gave a lackluster applause and walked out of the theatre silently.
The show is two hours, including one 15 minute intermission
REVENGE SONG: A VAMPIRE COWBOYS CREATION
Written by Qui Nguyen
Directed by Robert Ross Parker
Previews: Tuesday, February 4 – Wednesday, February 12, 2020
Opening Night: Thursday, February 13, 2020
Closing Night: Sunday, March 8, 2020
CAST
Noshir Dalal as Serranes, Gaston and others
Beth Hawkes as Emily and others
Tom Myers as Louis, Gaulard and others
Margaret Odette as Julie
Amy Kim Waschke as Madame de Senneterre, Mother Superior and Marie
Eugene Young as Albert and others
PRODUCTION TEAM
Scenic & Lighting Designer Nick Francone
Costume Designer Jessica Shay dressed - better than
Composer & Sound Designer Shane Rettig
Projection Designers Kaitlin Pietras & Jason H. Thompson
Puppet Designer David Valentine
Music Director Ryan O'Connell
Choreographer Stacy Dawson Stearns
Fight Directors Maggie Macdonald & Tim Brown
Production Stage Manager Ross Jackson
Assistant Stage Manager Lizzie Thompson
Casting Director Phyllis Schuringa, CSA
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Monday No performance
Tuesday – Friday 8:00 p.m.
Saturday 3:00 and 8:00 p.m.
Sunday 2:00 and 7:00 p.m.
LOCATION
Gil Cates Theater at Geffen Playhouse
10886 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets currently priced at $30.00 - $120.00. Available in person at the Geffen Playhouse box office, by phone at 310.208.5454 or online at www.geffenplayhouse.org. Fees may apply.
Rush tickets for each day’s performance are made available to the general public 30 minutes before showtime at the box office. $35.00 General/$15.00 Student.