Wednesday, November 21, 2007
By Paul Lamar for The Daily Gazette
SCHENECTADY — “It does what a musical is supposed to do: take you away
from the real world.”
The words of the Man in the Chair (Jonathan Crombie), waxing ecstatic over a 1928 recording of a flawed but endearing musical, “The Drowsy
Chaperone,” that he plays over and over again.
And as he plays it, his powerful imagination brings the obscure story to
life before our eyes in this Tony Award-winning hit from 2006 called,
appropriately enough, “The Drowsy Chaperone.” Do not miss it!
This show-within-a-show is the work of book writers Bob Martin & Don
McKellar and composer Lisa Lambert & Greg Morrison, all of whom have
created a tuneful and funny send-up of Broadway musicals and those who
love them.
From an easy chair by his prized record player in his studio apartment,
the Man, a study in sweet self-deprecation with occasional flashes of
waspishness, fills us in on the story of this Prohibition-era bit of fluff
and the performers who starred in it.
The actors’ bios are as amusing as the plot line, trading, as they do, in
stereotypes and gossip.
Like a true Broadway musical buff, the Man is a walking reference book and
knows the grooves on the vinyl like the back of his hand.
Along the way he reveals tidbits about his own life, like his failed
marriage and his crush on the male star of 1928 “The Drowsy Chaperone,”
Percy Hyman.
The virtue of the script is its utter cleverness. Martin & McKellar get
legitimate mileage out of breaking the fourth wall, an apt technique given
the fine line the Man walks between reality and illusion.
Puns, inspired staging, and funny set pieces will easily hold your
interest through 105 uninterrupted minutes.
Most of all, you’ll be impressed by the remarkable cast.
Sure, TV star Georgia Engel delights as expected, and Nancy Opel’s droll
take as the eponymous character is can’t-miss, but there’s not a
second-best performer in the lot.
Mark Ledbetter and Richard Vida make your toes twitch with a hot tap
number, “Cold Feets.”
Andrea Chamberlain reminds you of Bernadette Peters, but only so you can
say she’s-as-good-as.
James Moye’s over-the-top spoof of a self-absorbed Latin star is the work
of an actor in complete control.
Tops is Crombie, who makes the Man three-dimensional with a look, a
flustered flap of the wrist, or a well-timed line reading.
Musical director Robert Billig stands the pit band on their toes, and
Casey Nicholaw’s direction and choreography keep the machine well-oiled.
End-of-the-year best lists will be coming out in a few weeks. “The Drowsy
Chaperone” will certainly be on mine.