The Drowsy Chaperone

Musical (1998)
Music and Lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
Book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar
Directed and Choreographed by Larry Sousa
Music Direction by Matthew Stern
Lyric Stage Company of Boston
Copley Square area, Boston
April 5 – May 12, 2024

With Joy Clark (Janet Van De Graaff), Yasmeen Duncan (Trix The Aviatrix), Kristian Espiritu (Kitty), Danny Feldman (Ensemble), Maureen Keiller (The Drowsy Chaperone), Mark Linehan (George), Cristhian Mancinas-García (Aldolpho), Paul Melendy (Man in Chair), Katie Pickett (Superintendent, Ensemble), Nick Potts (Ensemble), Ilyse Robbins (Gangster #2), Kathy St. George (Gangster #1), Carolyn Saxon (Mrs. Tottendale), Feldzieg (Damon Singletary), Jared Troilo (Robert Martin), Todd Yard (Underling)

The so-called Man in Chair (Paul Melendy), says, right out of the box, that he hates theater, but it’s clear that he loves theater and that he has a talent for bringing it to life. Addressing the audience, the Man pulls out a recording of a favorite musical from 1928, The Drowsy Chaperone, and proceeds to bring it to life within the confines of his own apartment.

And what life that is! The musical is, as the man avows, sheer fluff, but it is such wonderful fluff that he – and indeed we – cannot get enough of it. The plot, such as it is, involves a marriage between Robert Martin (Jared Troilo) and Janet Van De Graaff (Joy Clark), an actress, but there will be complications. It is forbidden for the groom to see the bride on the day of the wedding, and The Drowsy Chaperone (Maureen Keiller) is enlisted to make sure that remains the case. The Drowsy Chaperone is, however, a lush and consequently not entirely serious about her job. George (Mark Linehan) manages to send Robert off on roller skates, but in a blindfold to ensure that he does not see his betrothed. Somehow Janet winds up pretending to be a French coquette who engages in conversation with Robert, and in a brief moment, shares a kiss with him. Additionally, Feldzieg (Damon Singletary), a producer, has worries about Janet’s getting married because of his own designs for her as an actress and tries to subvert the wedding on his own terms. It all gets complicated – Janet is horrified that Robert has kissed the French coquette even though it was actually she herself and is ready to call off the wedding on that score. Amidst this set of not temporary and not very tragic complications, all sorts of unexpected romantic allegiances develop, and, as to be expected, things all work out okay in the end.

Despite the frivolity and lightness of the play within the play, the final wrapper of the show is poignant, with the Man in the Chair indicating his own failed marriage and consequent loneliness, offering a nod to the serious complexities of real life and the genuine, though fictionalized, compensations of the sort that entertainments like The Drowsy Chaperone afford.

Though largely light and intentionally tongue-in-cheek in its execution, this production is so brilliantly and carefully put together that it echoes with satisfactions throughout. Though everything is precisely choreographed and staged, there is a sense of freedom and joy that emanates from the production. Indeed, the dramatic wrapper featuring The Main in the Chair is poignant, but also conveyed with a brilliant combination of showbiz pizzazz and dramatic longing.

In that role of The Man in the Chair, Paul Melendy is truly brilliant. He gestures with decisiveness and precision and connects with the audience with the intimacy of a standup comedian. At one point, someone from the audience shouted something out and Melendy responded on the spot, wittily and effectively. Melendy also conveys the potency and complexity of his character adeptly, embracing the sense of loneliness of his character and the sense of exuberance he gains in listening to the recording of The Drowsy Chaperone.

Indeed, the show the Man In the Chair puts on his turntable, The Drowsy Chaperone, is a fiction – there was no 1928 musical of that name – but the show within the show is so vividly and amusingly rendered that one thinks it indeed might have been a hit in its day.

There is real brilliance in the choreography and staging of this production, adeptly and convincingly conveying this totally put-on, tongue-in-cheek venture. Though entirely silly, the extreme movements and expressions of the characters are highly effective, almost as though their mooning was designed for the silent screen. Indeed, the overall direction and choreography by Larry Sousa is so competent that all of the actors shine.

As Robert, Jared Troilo has never been better, wonderfully exhibiting his capacities in a great series of mooning gestures, a tap dancing routine, and belting out a series of numbers. As his romantic counterpart Janet, Joy Clark is also a scream, completely embodying the angular stances and staccato gestures of poses and grimaces, giving her character umph and verve. As The Drowsy Chaperone, Maureen Keiller, who, in other contexts has demonstrated the capacity to carry serious roles with gravitas, here conveys the silliness of the blowsy chaperone with real gusto. As the two gangsters, Ilyse Robbins, a noted choreographer and director in her own right, and Kathy St. George, a well known Boston stage actor, are a truly wonderful pair. And, as Underling, the butler, Todd Yard has some extremely funny moments, carrying off the faux seriousness of his service role with perfectly tuned moments of ironic hauteur.

There is great singing as well. Though her role is not a huge, Yasmeen Duncan’s Trix the Aviator has some lovely vocal moments which carries off in her lush and luminous voice. In their hilarity-ridden roles, Troilo, Clark and Keiller also carry vocals with power and punch.

This very fun production is entirely worth one’s attention. It has, in its enveloping narrative, an element of poignancy and reflectiveness, that also makes the theatrical experience somewhat more profound, prodding one to think twice about the important service that such frviloity can offer within a complex and emotionally nuanced life.

– BADMan (aka Charles Munitz)