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Theater review: ‘The Debate Over Courtney O’Connell’ at Cafe Metropol

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A self-aware comedy for the “Juno” generation, Mat Smart’s “The Debate Over Courtney O’Connell of Columbus, Nebraska” argues that true romance requires legislation. The sudden engagement of Nebraska native Courtney (Amy Ellenberger) to the well-adjusted James (Larry Herron) throws Courtney’s moody ex, Scooner (Jeff Galfer), into a tailspin. Desperate, he invokes the state’s Morgan Morality Act of 1894, which holds that a woman’s first lover may challenge another suitor to a public debate as to whom is more worthy of her hand.

This romp by Chalk Repertory Theatre, known for its site-specific work, takes place with minimal staging at downtown’s Café Metropol, where you can nibble bruschetta while comparing realism (James) versus romance (Scooner). Courtney’s response to the throw-down is a delicious surprise, and the evening’s high point. In the second half, we travel back to 1894, on a fateful day when the rampage of a jilted lover led the Columbus sheriff (Feodor Chin) to create the Morality Act. Pistols are brandished, ladies (played by men) swoon, and everyone lip syncs to a power ballad.

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“Debate” has a fresh charm, and director Jennifer Chang’s ensemble samples performance styles — Charles Busch, Tarantino, reality TV — with offhand ease. After the first hour, though, that exuberance starts to wear thin, and you wish for more content under all the commotion. Smart talks of eternal love, but he may be more interested in just having fun.

-- Charlotte Stoudt

The Debate Over Courtney O’Connell of Columbus, Nebraska,” Café Metropol, 923 E.3rd St., Los Angeles. 8 p.m. Sundays and Mondays. Ends Aug. 24. $15. Contact: (800) 838-3006. Running time: 90 minutes.

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