“The Drowsy Chaperone” – Music and Lyrics by Lisa Lampert and Greg Morrison. Book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar. Directed and Choreographed by Larry Sousa. Musical Direction by Matthew Stern. Presented by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, 140 Clarendon Street, Boston, through May 12.
By Michele Markarian
From the moment the Man in Chair (an engaging Paul Melendy) puts on a record of his favorite musical from the 1920s to shake himself out of a gloomy mood, we know we are in for a fun ride. Melendy’s sincerity, wry delivery, and easy charm set the tone for the rest of the show, where the acting is impeccable, the vocals are terrific, the songs are catchy, and the script is funny.
The Drowsy Chaperone has a silly plot – part Shakespearean comedy with mistaken identities and happy endings. Janet, a prominent actress and showgirl (Joy Clark), has agreed to give up her career to marry Robert (Jared Troilo), but her employer, Feldzieg (Damon Singletary), is determined not to let the wedding take place, as he can’t lose his star performer. He hires two gangsters (pint-sized terrors Kathy St. George and Ilyse Robbins) to try and stop the ceremony from happening. Martin’s minder and wedding organizer is his best friend, George (Mark Linehan), and Janet is being carefully guarded by her chaperone (Maureen Keiller), who spends most of the day in a drunken haze. The vain Adolfo (Cristhian Mancinas-Garcia) is hired to seduce the bride to ensure that she will fall in love with him and cancel her nuptials, but fate has other plans.
Sousa directs the show to flow seamlessly; even blips where the record allegedly skips are choreographed to match. There is no intermission, which allows the audience to sit back and go with the flow. And what a flow! The songs are lively and performed with flair and musicality. Troilo and Linehan make magic with the song and dance number “Cold Feet,” while Clark’s vocals and dancing shine in the hilarious “Show Off.” Keiller’s belt is glorious in the alcoholic anthem “As We Stumble Along.” Yasmeen Duncan, as Trix the Aviator (“code for lesbian,” Man in Armchair snidely tells us), adds her jubilant vocals to the rousing” I Do, I Do in the Sky.” Carolyn Saxon and Todd Yard are sweet as Mrs. Tottendale and Underling, respectively. St. George and Robbins add comic relief as the two bumbling gangsters.
Cameron McEachern’s set is full of surprises. The show opens with the drab apartment of Man in Chair and transforms itself into an elegant home with a fancy Murphy bed and easy-to-roll set pieces. Seth Bodie’s costumes are true to the period, stylish and snazzy. It’s Melendy, though, whose projections of love and melancholy are the heart of the play. When he says to the Chaperone about the show, “It does what a musical is supposed to do…a little something to help you escape the horrors of this dreary world,” we get it. That’s exactly what this production does. Indulge in some gorgeous, toe-tapping escapism and get your ticket. For more information and tickets, go to: https://www.lyricstage.com/show-item/the-drowsy-chaperone/
