The Drowsy Chaperone - A Little Show That Could
Hit musical makes its regional theatre premiere in Vancouver
No other Canadian musical, apart from Anne Of Green Gables, has enraptured audiences around the world like The Drowsy Chaperone.
When Max Reimer took the reigns of the Vancouver Playhouse just a few short months ago, he was saddled with a season already selected for him. Luckily for him, the rights to The Wizard Of Oz fell through, and he was able to secure the first regional production of the show for his directorial debut with the Playhouse.
The Drowsy Chaperone is an homage to an old style of musicals, much like The Boyfriend and The Ziegfeld Follies. The "Man In Chair", who is an rabid musical theatre fan, decides to put on one of his favorite old shows – The Drowsy Chaperone, and the show comes to life in his living room. Robert Martin and Janet Van Der Graaf are getting married, and plans are underway for the nuptuals. Janet is a Broadway star, and her producer, Feldzieg, is under pressure to sabotage the wedding any way he can, with the help of two gangsters and Aldopho, an Italian "lover of women", who is lured into Feldzieg's scheme as well.
Janet and Robert are separated so as not to have bad luck before their wedding, and it's the responsibility of Janet's chaperone to keep her eye on her. Mistaken identities lead to confusion, the boy loses the girl, then wins her back. This can be expected by a musical of that era, and on an intellectual level, it's pure fluff, and that's simply why we love it.
The cast is led by some of Canada's finest musical theatre performers, including Jay Brazeau as the Man In Chair, Laird Mackintosh as Robert Martin, Debbie Timuss as Janet Van Der Graaf and Gabrielle Jones in the title role. Brazeau is an absolute delight as our host and narrator of the musical, playing the character with a true care for striking a balance with both his comedic and more sincere moments. He never upstages, which could and would have been easy with a character like his.
Laird Mackintosh is charming as Robert Martin, using his smooth voice and wit to win the hearts of his audience. Debbie Timuss looks and plays the part of the starlet to near perfection. Her show stopper, "Show Off" is an early highlight. While she was having trouble staying in tune during the number, it can be expected and forgiven after seeing her dance across the stage with such energy throughout the song. Thom Allison is at his comedic best as Aldolpho, playing the role for every possible laugh – and he gets them. It's a shame he doesn't sing more in the show, but so wonderful to see him tackle a role that seems to have been created for him.
As the title character, Gabrielle Jones steals the show with "As We Stumble Along", and she doesn't let up until the final curtain. There were a couple of weaker links in the cast, but overall, the company was strong. Special mention has to go to David Marr as Underling and Ryan Reid as George. Supporting roles, yet some of their work is what we leave remembering. One cannot fail to mention the fantastic work of Shawn Macdonald and Neil Minor as the two gangsters. From a lift of an eyebrow to a silly look, both of these great comedic actors use every inch of space on the stage to captivate the audience. Their big number, "Toledo Suprise", is one of the funniest in recent memory.
As noted above, The Drowsy Chaperone marks the debut of Max Reimer as a director at the Vancouver Playhouse. Having been at times less than happy about his previous work, this reviewer is having a change of heart. Reimer's work on this production is barely noticeable, and that's a great sign. He lets his cast carry the show, and he doesn't get in the way. One note though – at times during the opening night, the show dragged slightly, and that could have been caused by any number of things, including opening night jitters or by the audiences reactions.
The musical direction by Lloyd Nicholson is spot on, and the small orchestra sounds great. Dayna Tekatch choreographed the show with great detail and attention to dance styles of the period, and was one of the true highlights of the show.
There were two design elements, however, that really didn't work. The set, while lavish and beautiful, didn't allow much room for the actors to move during the big dance numbers. At one point, Laird Mackintosh enters on roller skates, rolling around the stage, blindfolded. With such a sparce set and so little room, there were audible gasps as frightened audience members wondered if Mackintosh would simply roll off the stage into the crowd.
The other element was extremely frustrating to deal with, and a real shame. That is, the actors did not have any sort of mic system, either on their person or on the floor. Almost half the songs in the show were barely audible from the fifth row in the theatre – it's hard to imagine that the last row in the balcony heard the show at all. With lyrics and music as clever as these, and with a cast like this, it's disappointing when you can't hear what they are singing.
Will The Drowsy Chaperone go down as a monumental piece of musical theatre? No. Frankly, it shouldn't. It's not designed to be a show you go to to think – it's a show you go to laugh and enjoy. This production succeeds in doing both. In these hard economic times, isn't it refreshing to go to the theatre and just have fun? Absolutely – and thanks to the Playhouse, we have the chance.
The Drowsy Chaperone at the Vancouver Playhouse continues until December 27. For ticket and show information, click on the Vancouver Playhouse website.
**** (out of five)
The cast of The Drowsy Chaperone
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