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Drowsy Chaperone Awakens Audience
By Elaine Hunt

Though it’s wonderful to watch established, classic musicals, I especially appreciate the opportunity to see a new show. The Drowsy Chaperone premiered this week at the California Music Theatre in Sacramento. Staged on Broadway in 2006, it was nominated for eight Tony Awards and ultimately won five, including Best Book and Best Original Score.

The show ran through 2007 on Broadway, and is now touring the country. This Sacramento production boasts the original Broadway director and choreographer, Casey Nicholaw, and many of the original Broadway cast members. The Drowsy Chaperone charms all, particularly die-hard theater lovers, and their reluctant spouses dragged along for the evening. The show begins in pitch dark, with the narrator acting as though he’s an audience member, praying aloud for the show to be entertaining, or if it can’t be entertaining, at the very least, let it be brief. The plot is The Drowsy Chaperone’s biggest asset. Known only as "Man in Chair," the narrator is a frumpy, depressed man who plays musical soundtracks to brighten his spirits. Tonight he has selected The Drowsy Chaperone, a fictional musical supposedly written in the roaring 1920’s. As he plays the record, the show comes to life in his living room.

The fictional musical relies upon and abuses every musical cliché. There’s spitting and overacting, and no plot to speak of. The characters are one dimensional stereotypes. There’s the forgetful, kindly aunt; the rich, handsome groom; the starlet bride and her drunk chaperone, and we don’t care about any of them. Any sane person should ask themselves why they’d want to sit through this old, beat up 1920’s musical. Wait a minute! Didn’t I just say the plot is The Drowsy Chaperone’s biggest asset? Indeed I did. Man in Chair transforms this trite musical into brilliant comedy.

We would be disappointed seeing that 1920’s musical. But we see it through the eyes of Man in Chair. The addition of the narrator transforms The Drowsy Chaperone from hackneyed to hilarious. He breaks the theatrical "fourth wall" and talks directly to the audience. For those not familiar with the term, "fourth wall" it means the character on the stage acts as though he’s living his experience without being watched by an audience. So when an actor acknowledges the audience and speaks directly to them, he is "breaking the fourth wall."

Man in Chair, played brilliantly by Jonathan Crombie, repeatedly interrupts the musical to comic hilarity. He even tells us about the fictional actors who supposedly played the characters in the 1920’s. So we learn, for example, that the leading man was previously famous as the Gleam toothpaste man.

Some of the funniest moments come when the narrator’s real life collides with the musical re-enactment. For example, near the end of one of the big musical numbers, the actors repeat the same line of the song and dance, the same movements, several times before the narrator and the audience learn the cause was the record skipping on the record player! Many of the actors in the Sacramento performance originated their roles on Broadway, and are now touring with the show. So we had top-notch actors performing the characters, and each got to perform at least one musical number to showcase their individual charm. Janet Van De Graaff, played by the lovely Andrea Chamberlain, entertained with her "Show Off" number, where she pranced, preened and posed, and even cart wheeled across stage protesting that she didn’t want to be in the limelight anymore.

And Dale Hensley’s broad, over-the-top performance of Aldolpho stole the show with his "I am Aldolpho" number. When Aldolpho teaches Drowsy his name, he sings in a high voice, "I can sing it high – Aldolpho." The audience anticipates the next line of the song, "I can sing it low – Aldolpho." Hensley bends down low on stage, but then proceeds to sing the line in the exact same high voice in-stead of the baritone voice we anticipated.

It was a wonderfully unexpected moment. I was a bit disappointed in the character that the wonderful Georgia Engel played. (Georgia Engel is most famous for playing Georgette in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and more recently Pat McDougal from "Everybody Loves Raymond") Engel performed as Mrs. Tottendale in New York’s Broadway version, as well.

Mrs. Tottendale is a sweet, forgetful, and forgettable old lady. This part could have been played by anybody. Though Engel was enjoyable, this outstanding, comedic actress was somewhat wasted in this role. In all, this was an evening well spent. Funny, absurd and original, The Drowsy Chaperone offers entertainment for all. The show continues at the California Musical Theatre through Oct 12. Check the theater website at www.broadwaysacramento.com for ticket information, and for upcoming shows for the remainder of the season.

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