The Chanteuse and the Devil's Muse

British alternative rock musician and composer David J (of the bands Bauhaus and Love and Rockets) has created a mixed-media piece featuring music originally composed for indie film "The Devil's Muse," adding interpretive choreography by butoh artist Vangeline. The play focuses on the gruesome murder of Elizabeth Short—the Black Dahlia—and the investigation that follows. Jazz singer Madi Comfort (Daniele Watts) is brought in for questioning by LAPD Lt. Frank Jemison (Douglas Dickerman) about her relationship with Dr. George Hodel, a suspect in the murder. The dramatic scenes of her interrogation are interspersed with musical and dance interludes throughout this one-hour production.

For the true-crime cognoscenti and fans of film noir, the details of the Black Dahlia murder and the lingering doubts about the killer will be familiar territory. However, the play does little to illuminate the facts of the case for average audiences, and the subtextual message about the nexus between the gruesome murder and conceptual art are too tenuous to have much resonance. The production feels like a somewhat awkward mix of concert, dance performance, and theatrical piece; though each element has its strengths, the whole never quite comes together.

Still, David J's music (with collaborating composer Ego Plum) is strong and compelling, providing an expressionistic film noir flavor to the proceedings. The butoh choreography and performance by Vangeline are weak and largely uninspiring. Watts does a credible job as Madi Comfort and dishes up a knockout blues number in sultry tones. Dickerman is solid and no-nonsense as the LAPD detective. The set design (David J) is simplistic and obvious, as is the lighting design (uncredited). The use of a film clip in the middle of the show, while slowing the action of the play, adds an engaging bit of media collage to the production.

Presented by and at the Bootleg Theater, 2220 Beverly Blvd., L.A. Sept. 8-Oct. 1. Thu.-Sat., 7:30 p.m. (213) 389-3856. www.bootlegtheater.org.