At the very end
of Company Theatre’s delightful production of THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, the
narrator, called “Man in Chair” (played with touching exuberance by Danny
Bolton) suggests we start over from the beginning. We should have shouted “Yes!”
en masse. The delicious wedding cake of a “musical within a comedy” is so short
and yes, sweet, that I would have loved to see it again. Alas, the run is over
this weekend.
Bolton and a slew of consummate pros sail through the
(Lamber/Morrison/Martin/McKellor) faux, “old fashioned,” practically plot-less
musical with panache and exquisite comic timing. Zoe Bradford and Jordie
Saucerman’s cast makes fun of those creaky conventions which weighed down the
musicals of yesteryear without even one wink to the audience: The secret to a
successful send-up is sincerity—and
a music director like Michael V. Joseph. His orchestra of a dozen or more
musicians makes the wacky score pop and his singers deliver the goods.
DROWSY is chock
full of wonderful clichés: Andrew Giordano is hilarious as the Latin lover who
mistakes the chaperone for the ingénue. Corinne Mason is a force to be reckoned
with as the drowsy, martini swilling, aforementioned chaperone—and the happy recipient of the Latin
lover mix-up. Juliana Dennis is the ditsy hostess whose poker faced butler (the
marvelous A. John Porcaro) repeatedly keeps her abreast of the proceedings.
David Giagrando
is the big time producer who does not intend to lose his leading lady (the
multi-talented Cat Umano) to groom-to-be Matthew Brendan Ford. Umano juggles,
twirls and splits her way through the roof raising “Show Off” number while Ford
and his best man (Matt Maggio) tap up a hurricane on their “Cold Feets” (niftily
choreographed by Sally Ashton Forrest). As everyone prepares for the wedding,
Giagrando keeps the plot moving by hatching his devious plans for sabotage.
Carole Shannon
is the quintessential “dumb blonde” who outsmarts the producer and Justin Selig
and Paul Brennan III supply the “singing and dancing” gangster element. Evette
Anderson swoops in to save the day just when you think that wedding might not
happen. With a nod to 42nd
STREET, KISS ME KATE, ANYTHING GOES, THE KING AND
I and any number of lovely chestnuts, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE is a frothy, retro
wake-up call: Who says they don’t make shows nowadays like they used to!
