Squall

As genres go, thrillers have carved a substantial niche in publishing and film. In the theatre, however, the form is generally interwoven with a murder mystery to give it some additional purpose. Elizabeth Hemmerdinger's Squall—now receiving its regional premiere by Modern Muse Theatre Company at the Arvada Center's new black box—breaks this mold, delivering a series of adrenaline rushes as it plumbs the psychological depths of two powerful women stalking each other in cottage on an island just off the coast of Maine during a storm.

(L to R) Karen LaMoureaux as Cordelia and Martha Harmon Pardee as Diana Photo: Modern Muse Theatre Company

Diana is a well-known television personality who has finally decided to sell the family summer home. She is in the final throes of packing, divvying up the last of her and her recently deceased mother's stuff into various boxes labeled "Remains to be Seen," "Perpetual Care," "Boas," and "Trash."

She is interrupted by a knock at the door from a stranger, Cordelia, who says she has come to see the house. Cordelia immediately starts hyperventilating, star-struck at getting to meet Diana.

At first, Martha Harmon Pardee paints Diana as public personality weary of the demands placed upon her by a fawning public. Fame has empowered her with enough arrogance to expect that fans such as Cordelia will obey her wishes and leave when told.

However, as Karen LaMoureaux ratchets up the pace, we begin to understand that her Cordelia is not the fan she seemed at first to be, but rather a delusional schizophrenic. As it turns out, Cordelia spent time with Diana's mother, Rose, in a mental institution.

(L to R) Karen LaMoureaux as Cordelia and Martha Harmon Pardee as Diana Photo: Modern Muse Theatre Company

A variety of weapons change hands as the women maneuver for both physical and psychological advantage, while the playwright contrasts the damage done to them, for Diana by her mother, and for Cordelia, by her lack of one.

Hemmerdinger has a number of tricks up her sleeve, which keeps the thriller on edge, though only some of the emotional loops lead to meaningful insights. Harmon Pardee moves Diana from hard-boiled to needy to concerned in an impressive series of shifts, while LaMoureaux's portrayal of Cordelia's brain chemistry disorder is astonishing in its verisimilitude. In the end, however, despite these excellent performances and solid direction from Billie McBride, the script fails to create enough sympathy for either Diana or Cordelia to bring us to a catharsis.

Modern Muse Theatre Company's production of Squall runs through May 27th. 303-780-7836.