Review: The Drowsy Chaperone
Picture: Members of the cast of The Drowsy Chaperone (Image supplied. Picture credit Sharyn Hall)
I must admit that The Drowsy Chaperone was new to me. I am delighted to report that this is an unmissable show. Apparently described as a ‘musical within a comedy,’ I’d suggest that The Drowsy Chaperone is more a comedy within a musical—or even a play within a musical within a comedy. ‘Man in Chair’ sits in his small New York apartment, playing a vinyl record of the original cast recording of a 1928 musical that he has never seen. We experience 1920s The Drowsy Chaperone through his narration and imagination. In the process, the audience learns more about the life of the man in the chair, and also picks up a few pointers on the genre of the musical.
The 1920s Drowsy Chaperone musical has a fairly straightforward plot, centred on a musical starlet who is about to marry her wealthy groom. But can the Producer persuade her to stay on the stage (and save himself from the machinations of the gangsters-disguised-as-bakers), and will the chaperone with a drinking habit (hence ‘drowsy’) be able to look after her charge? As ‘Man in Chair’ points out, such 1920s shows were designed to provide roles that suited the talents of the performers of the time—from the former stars of the silent films, through to the comic duos and dancers of vaudeville theatre.
Unimportant characters in film or theatre are often credited for their roles rather than with a name (for example, third servant, woman in the street, or corpse). The Drowsy Chaperone inverts that convention, where the lonely ‘Man in Chair’ is the most important member of the cast, and is onstage for almost all of the show. Fortunately for the Savoyards audiences, Brad Ashwood gives the performance of a lifetime in this role. Perfectly cast, and beautifully played, Ashwood’s ‘Man in Chair’ is a tragicomic gem. We laughed with Ashwood, we fell in love with The Drowsy Chaperone (for all of its foibles), and we very nearly cried a little too.
Ashwood leads a strong cast. Carly Wilson’s Janet Van de Graaff is a believable starlet who certainly seems to be a suitable match for Rhys Rice’s enjoyably cheesy roller-skating Robert Martin. I loved Vanessa Wainwright’s Drowsy Chaperone—particularly with the ‘uplifting’ number and ‘tango’ with Aldolpho (Christopher Thomas). Wainwright established very credible drunken drowsiness, and gave a great portrayal of a former star who would not be upstaged. The disorganised George managed to pull the whole wedding together, thanks to a great piece of tap-dancing by Andrew King. Nathaniel Young’s Mr Feldzieg was a suitably harried Producer, and a great foil to the two Gangsters (the entertaining duo of Aaron Anderson and Astin Hammermeister). Kaitlyn Burton (Kitty) delivered a solid comic performance, portraying a believable ‘dumb blonde’ who is not quite as ditzy as she appears.
The Drowsy Chaperone ended in the style of many 1920s musicals, as each of the lead characters ended up making a suitable romantic match—including the wealthy hostess, Mrs Tottendale (Jacqui Cuny) and her wry butler (Underling, played by Warryn James)—and the show ends with the glorious trip to Rio, thanks to the arrival of Trix the Aviatrix (Vivien Wood), and her supporting crew (Jo Badenhorst, Daniela Clever, and Andrew McArthur).
The Savoyards selected an excellent creative team for this production. Congratulations to Robbie Parkin (Director), Benjamin Tubb-Hearne (Musical Director), and Natalie Lennox (Choreographer, supported by Alanah Giles, Assistant Choreographer). I found it difficult to fault the directing, and hope that Parkin has future opportunities to direct Savoyards shows, and I loved the set-piece musical numbers which acted as a wonderful homage to the 1920s style.
The Drowsy Chaperone was well-cast, with a stellar performance by Ashwood and brought to the Star Theatre by a strong creative team. Perhaps the show would have benefited from getting to the suggested 90 minutes, but I was certainly happy with the 100 minute running time. The only real criticism I had was sound-related. Sadly there were problems with the sound during the Sunday matinee, including a persistent buzz and the intermittent working of Jacqui Cuny’s microphone. Let’s hope that these issues are addressed for the rest of the run.
Verdict: The Savoyards production of The Drowsy Chaperone deserves to sell-out. Well-cast, with a stellar performance by Ashwood and brought to the Star Theatre by a strong creative team.
Audience information: Limited smoke haze and a short period of complete darkness (‘full black’). The Drowsy Chaperone (eight performances, from 25 September until 9 October, 2021), at the Star Theatre, Wynnum State High School, Peel Street, Manly. Tickets $30-52 (plus transaction fees). 1 hour 45 minutes (no interval).
The reviewer attended the Sunday 26th September matinee (1:30pm) performance.
Pictures: Brad Ashwood as ‘Man in Chair’ and members of the cast of The Drowsy Chaperone (Images supplied. Pictures credit Sharyn Hall).
Original Broadway production of the Drowsy Chaperone produced by Kevin McCallum, Roy Miller, Bob Boyett, Stephanie McClelland, Barbara Freitag and Jill Furman. Licenced exclusively by Music Theatre International (Australasia). All performance materials supplied by Hal Leonard Australia.