The Stage

The Drowsy Chaperone

Published Thursday 7 June 2007 at 15:20 by Lisa Martland

Man in Chair, brilliantly brought to life by Bob Martin, is tucked away in his apartment feeling miserable, so to lighten the mood he decides to play and share with the audience his love of a fictional twenties musical romp entitled The Drowsy Chaperone.

As we hear the static on the cast recording and then the first strains of the overture, the orchestra steps in and the ‘musical within a comedy’ is played out in all its glory within the confines of his home.

The show within a show idea is not a new one but this production’s winning ingredient is the way Martin reprises his Broadway role, interacting with and commenting on the shenanigans, whether the characters are arriving through his fridge or making love on the fold-down bed. The naturally flimsy plot, by the way, involves a glamorous starlet giving up the stage to get married and all those, like her producer, who intend to change her mind.

Amid all the campery and glamour, Martin and Don McKellar’s quick witted libretto is one of the evening’s selling points. There is also much to enjoy in Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison’s score but one lightweight pastiche after another does become tiresome.

Within an enthusiastic ensemble, John Partridge stands out as the ever-grinning, tap-dancing groom Robert, while Summer Strallen and Elaine Paige - playing the flighty starlet and her drunken chaperone - are in fine vocal and acting form (the former just goes from strength to strength). While the pace drags a little during the less engaging musical numbers, choreographer/director Casey Nicholaw still does a grand job combining the show’s two narrative strands.

Man in Chair suggests that The Drowsy Chaperone may have its flaws, but it does what a musical should do - take you to a happier place for a while and help you forget the blues. Similar sentiments could also be applied to this Tony Award-winning production.