Vendetta Chrome

Reviewed by Julia Stier
Coeurage Theatre Company
Through December 15

Coeurage Theatre Company’s “Pay What You Want” policy for all their shows allows them to focus on producing “impassioned” theatre and making it accessible for all. Their latest production is Sylvan Oswald’s melodramatic-farce, Vendetta Chrome. Directed by Sara Lyons, it aims to explore female repression and rage.

Vendetta Chrome (Diona Elise Burnett) knows little about herself and even less about her future. When her father, Algie (Provvidenza Catalano), buys the Chicago Female College and makes clear his intention to marry the stern elocution teacher, Ms. Bosworth (Janet Song), things don’t quite go as Vendetta expects. Her inability to fit in with the other girls leads her to question who she is. Her attempt to bond with Ms. Bosworth fails, and her world is turned upside down by a mysterious woman, Ivory (Tarina Pouncy), who reveals disturbing facts from the past.

Burnett brings a beautiful sense of innocence to Vendetta, who is easy prey for the school’s resident mean girls: Tallulah (Nicole Monet), O’Connell (Elena Murray), LaDonna (Marta Portillo), Mary Alice (Emily Price) and Gertie (Katie Canavan). As Algie, Catalona’s comedic timing proves dynamite onstage. Pouncy is ethereal as Ivory the fortune-teller, while Song’s intentionally over-the-top execution cements the story in melodrama.

The production mixes elements of Victorian drama, silent film melodrama and stock characters from film noir. While the meshing of these varying aesthetics makes it hard to place the production, it does help reinforce the idea that strict societal norms for women are present in every time period. However, with so many story lines, this important message isn’t as clear as it might be.

The Lex Theatre, 6760 Lexington Ave., Hollywood; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Dec. 9, 7 p.m., Dec. 12, 7 p.m.; through Dec. 15. Coeurage.org. Running time: 90 minutes with intermission.