chew the scenery

Etymology
Its earliest reference is listed in the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang as being used by Mary Hallock Foote in Coeur D'Alene in 1894.

Verb

 * 1)  To display excessive emotion or to act in an exaggerated manner while performing; to be melodramatic; to be flamboyant.

Translations

 * French: ,
 * Italian: essere sopra le righe
 * Spanish: robar escena