When he rewinds, the characters simultaneously revert to an earlier part of the musical. When Man in Chair stops the record player, the characters freeze or the lights dim. Others exit through a space in the wall through which the bed is put away for the day. Some characters enter from his refrigerator. As the record begins playing, the musical, complete with all its characters, comes to life in his apartment. So he plays the musical for us on a record player, hoping we’ll at least give the show a chance. Now here’s where it can get tricky: The Drowsy Chaperone is the title of the show we’re watching, but it’s also the name of the fictitious musical that Man in Chair so adores and wants to share with us. She dresses it up considerably as the musical-within-the-comedy comes into play. The setting is his plain, drabby but spacious home, designed by Brittany Loesch. This nebbish of a man, giddy with enthusiasm, can barely hold back his excitement as he talks to us. Man in Chair is our guide during an afternoon or evening of theater that dispenses with the “Fourth Wall.” He greets us and then addresses and interacts with us as though we’ve immediately become best buddies. He spends his time listening to records of original cast recordings of show tunes from old musicals. This eccentric is a charming, somewhat melancholy curmudgeon and bundle of nerves who lives alone in his dreary apartment. He represents the theater lover/fan/nerd within each of us. We’re endeared to this man because he’s a musical theater buff. We know practically nothing about him, but that doesn’t matter. In The Drowsy Chaperone, a character referred to only as “Man in Chair” obsesses over these escapist tales.
Carefree, lighthearted fare dominates in these types of musicals. You know, those shows which hardly placed a premium on three-dimensional characters or songs that serve the story and characters. This show is a send-up of 1920s-era lighthearted musicals.
To complain that The Drowsy Chaperone is inundated with stereotypes, low comedy, corny jokes, over-the-top performances and an ending seemingly contrived and all-too-convenient is to miss the point. One can almost guarantee that you’ll receive a respite from headlines and developments that make you practically fear Armageddon is near. The performers, who display deft comic timing, impressive lung power and vocal range, are on hand through Nov. 12 to entertain you. Neither does the Wick’s high-octane and hilarious production, which opens the Boca Raton company’s 2017-2018 season – its fifth.Ī cast of convincing, robust actors nails the exaggerated style this show calls for. The Drowsy Chaperone never lets us forget. But let’s not forget the escapist aspect of this art form. Of course, theater is often to meant to make us think and provoke us, as it should. It’s a present wrapped with love, and some good-natured ribbing, to all those who love the theater as a means of escape. The Drowsy Chaperone, after all, is a valentine to the theater and all those who cherish it. The show is so enjoyable – as is The Wick Theatre’s wonderful current production of it– that it’s hard to resist trying to somehow wrap the entire experience up or seal it and take it home. Folks attending the Broadway musical-within-a-comedy The Drowsy Chaperone might want to bring a large envelope or gift box with wrapping paper.
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