My first choice for my Saturday matinee performance was Spring Awakening. After just sweeping the Tony's, it came as no surprise that no tickets were available at a discount. I was disappointed but, alas, such is the life of a bargain hunter.
Instead, I decided to see The Drowsy Chaperone. It won quite a few awards just a short time ago and turned out to be an excellent choice!
I had seen cast interviews, watched songs performed on television, and heard bits and pieces along the way. The show was nothing like what I expected.
Here's what I thought the show was about: A pathetically depressed shut-in who rambles through his old record collection playing parts of his favorite shows and waxing nostalgic about the good ol' days.
Here's what it's really about: A theatre buff with an extensive collection of Broadway show cast recordings has such an active imagination that he can immerse himself in the story just by listening to the music. He selects only one, a 1920's musical called The Drowsy Chaperone, and pops it on the record player. Playing an LP on a stereo vs a CD is also used to great effect. The play's name is quite inconsequential. It refers to the "drowsy chaperone" character assigned to watch over the bride so she doesn't see the groom before their wedding. Her penchant for booze makes her sleepy which is all of the time.
The show then comes to life in his small apartment while he explains the story, the characters, critiques the plot, and even gives us some background on the actors who starred in its original run. He's very animated and his delight in the hokey and otherwise forgettable The Drowsy Chaperone draws us in.
Since this show has been running quite a while, many of the leads have changed to new faces. The ones I recognized were Joanne Worley as the ditzy elderly woman who has taken over for Georgia Engel who originated the part. She didn't give us any of her trademark Laugh-In warbling. Her character is paired with a servant and they have a great scene together involving him asking her if she'd, "like some iiiiicccccceeee water?" Those who've seen the show will immediately know what I'm talking about...I won't spoil it for those that haven't.
Jason Kravitz (the spunky D.A. from TV's The Practice) appears with his real life brother Garth as the fast-talking, pun-laden, baker-disguised gangster brothers.
Of all the performances, the one that I have to give special praise to is Danny Burnstein who plays Aldolpho the latin lover. The part allows him to play it WAY over the top, and that he does, providing most of the laugh-out-loud comedic moments.
The concept of a show within a show is nothing new, but I was pleased with how this was staged. I wonder if the producers have considered a sequel? It would be very easy to develop an entirely new performance contained in the same setting with our familiar moderator. This concept could have legs!
I definitely recommend this show.
[ Here's a shot of Times Square taken from the crosswalk of 50th Street looking south on 7th Avenue. ]
The show is playing at the Marquis Theatre on the mezzanine level of the Marriott Marquis Hotel located at Broadway and 45th. It is adjacent to the temporary TKTS booth where I purchased my ticket at a 50% discount. The theater is deceptively big, seating almost 1,600 patrons, but seems quite a bit smaller. All seats are pretty close to the stage with minimal sight line issues only for those in seats on the far left and right aisles.
The theatre was built in 1986 and I was there back in 1993 to see Broadway star Bernadette Peters and Martin Short in The Goodbye Girl. It's nice and clean with easy and quick access.
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