Theater review
“The Drowsy Chaperone”
Grade: B
8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays. 2:30 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. Through April 14. $25-$35 ($16 at 10 a.m. April 3). Aurora Theatre, 128 E. Pike St., Lawrenceville. 678-226-6222; auroratheatre.com
Bottom line: Sparkling valentine to old Broadway.
The narrator is a daydreamer. Sitting in his floral wing chair, feeling a little blue, he pines for the golden age of Broadway, when song-and-dance mavens waited to see what splendor Cole Porter or George and Ira Gershwin would whip up next.
Cuing his record player, the character known as Man in Chair invites us to come along for a listen to one of his favorites, the long-forgotten Gable & Stein classic from 1928, “The Drowsy Chaperone.” The musical-within-a-musical is of course fictional, as are the juicy biographies Man in Chair shares about the hard-swilling stars from the era of vaudeville and silents. But within this frothy, nostalgia-dripping entertainment is a delightfully winking commentary on the present-day state of musical theater and the virtues of old-fashioned candy-coated escapism.
Beginning as a Canadian fringe festival joke, “The Drowsy Chaperone” went on to win the 2006 Tony Awards for best score (by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison) and book (by Bob Martin and Don McKellar). A zany refreshment with a wonderful assortment of outsized characters, the show is becoming a staple of regional playhouses. Last year, it cropped up at Onstage Atlanta in Decatur. Through April 14, it’s at Aurora Theatre in Lawrenceville.
The Aurora spectacle, directed by Anne Towns, makes a stellar case for the high caliber of musical theater coming out of this suburban ensemble. Towns, who previously staged Aurora’s well-received “Singin’ in the Rain” and “A Chorus Line,” delivers a plucky telling of this sprawling and ambitious entertainment, showcasing Courtney Patterson in the title role, Steve Hudson as Man in Chair and Aurora Producing Artistic Director Anthony P. Rodriguez as Aldolpho, a Latin lothario played in the made-up mayhem by an infamous Hollywood lush.
As the static of Man in Chair’s vinyl recording gives way to the real-life magic of musical director Ann-Carol Pence’s band and choreographer Jen MacQueen’s choreography, “Drowsy” sails along on its own loopy logic. As the story goes, starlet Janet Van de Graaff (Liberty Cogen) is to be married to debonair Robert Martin (Greg Bosworth) before a wedding party that includes daffy hostess Mrs. Tottendale (Holly Stevenson); her butler, Underling (Brandon O’Dell); a vaudeville impresario (Bart Hansard); his clueless showgirl (Caitlin Smith); Robert’s bestie, George (Nick Morrett); plus the chaperone, Aldolpho; and various others.
While Patterson, Hansard, Cogen, Bosworth and O’Dell give impressive performances, Hudson’s Man in Chair feels flat and tentative; Stevenson’s Mrs. Tottendale is more frozen than sparkling; and Rodriguez, though seemingly perfect for the false bravado of Aldolpho, doesn’t quite nail the over-the-top ridiculousness of the part. (“Whaaaaaat?” as Aldolpho often roars. Indeed, Onstage Atlanta’s Googie Uterhardt was funnier.)
Patterson, one of the city’s most versatile and accomplished performers, may be playing a Gibson-guzzling diva, but when it comes to her character’s big anthem to alcoholism, “As We Stumble Along,” she’s a polished chanteuse. Bosworth’s suave style and velvety voice are appropriate to the era. (It’s hard to believe this actor was the tortured Moritz in Actor’s Express’ “Spring Awakening”). In “Cold Feets,” Bosworth and his tap-dancing partner, Morrett, prove to be dazzling hoofers, too. If it takes Hansard a scene or two to warm up, once he does, he’s a rubber-mugged riot.
On the design side, Phil Male’s set, Elizabeth Rasmusson’s costumes and Ben Tilley’s lighting are nothing extravagant, but they do the job. In sum, though you can quibble with a few of the performances, you can’t deny the intoxicating silliness of this breezy little bonbon.
