Theater review: ‘Revenge Song’ tactfully uses drama and comedy to explore identity, sexuality

“Revenge Song: A Vampire Cowboys Creation” has everything an audience could ask for, from sex and violence to sacrilege.

Running at the Geffen Playhouse until March 8, “Revenge Song” is an irreverent new musical about the forgotten life of Julie d’Aubigny (Margaret Odette), a French swordswoman and opera singer during the 17th century. Written by Qui Nguyen, the production follows Julie’s life as she escapes an abusive home, burns down a convent in the name of love and eventually comes to terms with her sexuality. Nguyen manages to blend the hilarity of musicals with discussions of identity into a two-hour thrill ride.

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The play begins in the middle of the action with Julie and her companion Albert (Eugene Young) fighting Serannes (Noshir Dalal). Serannes is later discovered to be the captain of Louis de Lorraine-Guise’s (Tom Myers) guard, and Julie’s ex-lover. As the show explores the important beats of Julie’s life, the artistic techniques Nguyen integrates into the production make the play feel almost like a film, and that tone is maintained throughout the entire runtime. The technique works well, and the show’s tone is one of its major successes.

Nguyen brings elements to the stage normally seen only in action movies by pairing well-choreographed fight scenes with moments where actors walk away from burning buildings in show motion. At one point, Julie escapes prison after being arrested for arson, and Nguyen incorporates video clips of the subsequent breakout into the show to heighten the feeling of immersion.

The full cast of six actors can be seen using miniature set pieces and a hand-held camera to project a live stream onto a screen onstage. The live video is not only hilarious and entertaining, but it also utilizes space efficiently, adding a fresh alternative to more conventional methods of theater.

But the production doesn’t only rely on action to drive the comedy. “Revenge Song” is aptly named with characters breaking out into sporadic songs. The tone of each song is vastly different from the next as slow and soft love ballads are intermingled with hard-rock anthems dedicated to emotional instability. Although the songs cover a lot of territory, the transitions feel natural and don’t break the realism of the show.

The balance between musical numbers and well-choreographed action scenes lighten up a show which easily could’ve been much darker. It functions well as a comedy and uses dramatic moments only when necessary. Nguyen’s scarce use of drama makes these moments more impactful, especially when compared to the general light-hearted tone.

That being said, Nguyen beautifully handles serious topics when necessary – namely, Julie’s struggle with her sexuality and identity. She enters relationships with both men and women throughout the show, and Julie’s self-discovery is funny, painful and heartwarming all at once. The audience sees Julie experience her first love and first heartbreak, and this complicated portrayal of relationships feels genuine.

However, puppets and a weak lead actress detract from the authenticity of the production. Because “Revenge Song” is a show with a small cast – with just six actors adorning the stage – puppets are used to represent some of the characters. While cute at times, the puppets also feel over the top, as they take away from the show’s realism in exchange for a cheap laugh.

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The second and more serious issue is Odette, who gives a decent acting performance but flounders while singing. She’s regularly outshined by Beth Hawkes when the two find themselves sharing the stage. Hawkes seems much more at ease during the songs, while Odette appears uncomfortable and rigid. During most of Odette’s musical performances, background music blares to drown Odette out, as if the director decided it would be better to hear the instrumental rather than listen to her voice. With Julie as a supposed opera singer, Odette doesn’t have the ability to portray that part of Julie’s life, and the show ultimately suffers for it.

But despite Odette’s lackluster performance, the supporting cast shines. Young’s comedic timing is superb, and Myers plays a very convincing villain. Between their performances and Nguyen’s masterful writing, the show blends historically accurate information with hilariously placed anachronisms – modern audiences are no doubt familiar with getting dumped via text message after all.

“Revenge Song” isn’t a preachy, pompous play, but it’s undoubtedly artful and another huge step forward for Nguyen’s patented geek theater.