SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Sept. 4, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — I have to be honest, when I had a quick read of the synopsis of “The Drowsy Chaperone” before attending, most of the plot was so surreal and whimsical that I felt like I was having a fever dream.
I could grasp just fine that it’s a show-within-a-show. We first meet a middle-aged, asocial theater fan, Man in Chair, who, feeling anxious and, as he says, “blue,” decides to play for the audience an LP of his favorite musical, the fictional 1928 show “The Drowsy Chaperone.” As the record plays, the piece — a parody of 1920s American musical comedy — comes to life onstage and a full-blown Broadway-style show unfolds in his apartment.
And that’s when things get a little nutty. In the opening number, “Fancy Dress,” the premise and characters are introduced: it’s the day of the wedding of oil tycoon Robert Martin and Broadway star Janet Van De Graaff, who plans to give up her career for married life. Suffice to say, as the action unfolds, you will witness gangsters dressed as pastry chefs, the bride (played by Morgan Fenner) pretending to be a saucy Frenchwoman, leading to disastrous consequences, the groom roller skating while blindfolded and vigorously tap-dancing (kudos to actor Clayton Barney for achieving both the latter feats and making them look easy). And that’s just the first half of the show, which runs a neat 90 minutes with no intermission.
Though the piece, which features music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, and a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, is not as ubiquitous as some other popular musicals from the early 2000s, it was nominated for multiple Broadway and West End theater awards, ultimately winning five Tony Awards and seven Drama Desk Awards. It began its life in Canada as a 40-minute spoof of musical comedies and was presented at the author’s bachelor party as a gift to his bride. The writer of the book of “The Drowsy Chaperone,” you may have noticed, is Bob (Robert) Martin and his real-life fiancée’s name was Janet Van De Graaf (with one f). He then used those names for the main characters in the show-within-a-show. The piece was expanded for presentation at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 1999. After a 2005 run in Los Angeles, the show opened on Broadway in May 2006 and ran for a total 674 performances. It played in the West End from June to August 2007, and tours and national and international productions followed.
This iteration at the Grand Theatre at 1575 S. State St. goes until Sept. 14, with shows Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and a Saturday matinee Sept. 7 at 2 p.m. Tickets and more information are available here.
I realized pretty quickly after the show-within-a-show began, when the hostess for the wedding, Mrs. Tottendale, dressed in an unwieldy 18th Century dress though the show is set in the 1920s, emerges from the fridge in the Man in Chair’s apartment, that the piece is supposed to feel surreal; the mayhem is deliberate, and it is intended that we revel in it. As soon as I embraced that, the show became pure fun, and I could feel the rest of the audience settle in and start to have a blast, too. It does help that the songs are reallllllllly catchy: I was still singing “Toledo Surprise” as I drove home. The big numbers are just as good as those from musicals like “42nd Street,” “Anything Goes” and “Guys and Dolls.” If you envision a smash-hit song like “We’re in the Money” from “42nd Street” that builds and builds until you’re dying to jump up and sing and dance along, well, there are a few things more thrilling that you can see on stage.
And in this production, both the direction and the acting deliver pure, unadulterated, daffy jollity. Stage director and choreographer Jim Christian makes sure the group numbers and scenes are chock-full of spectacle and pizzazz. But the really clever part of the “The Drowsy Chaperone” is that the heart of the play is its framing device, Man in Chair. As the only realistic character, he gives the show depth and roots. In this production, Jason Campbell does a great job making him endearing; the character at times chats directly with the audience, and some people verbally responded. His timing is also excellent when in the big numbers he sings along sometimes, but never distracts from the main action.
The other actors are excellent across the board; there’s no weak link even though it’s a large cast of 21 folks total. Morgan Fenner is just as sparkly and mesmerizing as a disco ball as the glamorous leading lady Janet Van de Graaff. Her fiancé in the show, Robert Martin, is played by the actress’s real-life husband, the afore-mentioned Clayton Barney, and they have lovely chemistry. The highlight of the first act, for me, was “Show Off,” in which Janet tells us why she doesn’t want to be an actress any longer, which of course evolves into a massive production number. Her big song, “Bride’s Lament,” in the second act, in which she grieves her lost romance and decides to return to the stage, is also a showstopper.
The supporting actors also shine in their over-the-top roles; I did check the scenery a couple of times to see if there were any bite marks in it since this cast definitely, and rightly, chews it pretty hard. Memorable moments include a wonderful spit-take scene between Dawn Veree as Mrs. Tottendale and Jeffrey Black as Underling, and just about anything that Drü (yes the actor has only one name), as Latin lover Adolpho does –watch for a comedic “bit” when his cane seems to spring from the floor back into his hands multiple times. The ensemble, guided by musical director Jonathan McDonald, also does an excellent job as they depict a variety of roles from maids to monkeys.
Which brings me on to the production values, which, across the board, are stunning and super-flashy. The scenic design by Halee Rasmussen lends itself perfectly to the comedic nature of the show. The piece is basically set in the apartment of the Man in Chair, but as I mentioned, characters at times emerge from the fridge, through the windows, and also on a pull-down bed which is used to great comedic effect. There’s also a high-flying surprise set-piece that is revealed during the last big number, “I Do, I Do In The Sky.”
And as is the case with just about every period show I go and see, the costume design by Shannon McCullock and hair and make-up design by Erin McCullock made me want to dress in only 1920s garb for the foreseeable future. The bejeweled flapper dresses in bold hues, tight curls and Clara Bow-style makeup on the ladies are just gorgeous and it was a snappy era for the gents, too.
The lighting design by Drew Bielinski is also ultra-snazzy, using a palette of striking jewel tones and plenty of lovely little touches, such as the part where each ensemble member holds a cloud, each of which is lit up with a different color of the rainbow. The sound design by Joe Killian is subtle and effective; before and after the show, scratchy 1920s music softly played, as if from the record player, which I thought was a lovely touch.
I should also mention that this show is perfect for the Grand Theatre space, which originally was a rather posh auditorium for Salt Lake City’s South High School, which opened in 1931. The theater got its name when Pat Davis, an employee of Salt Lake Community College and formerly the executive director of Promised Valley Playhouse in Salt Lake City, was brought to the school’s old auditorium. “What a grand theater!” she exclaimed, and the name stuck. The Grand Theatre is the one area of the SLCC campus that is structurally unchanged, but you can also enjoy smart new seats, with cup holders, that were just put in this summer. Still, the original majesty of the theater shines through and feels like you’re taking a step back in time.
All in all, “The Drowsy Chaperone” is gloriously self-aware and jam-packed with musical theater tropes, which are fabulous for long-term fans of the genre, but with a surprisingly deep finale that might even leave you feeling a little misty. As Man in Chair says: “It does what a musical is supposed to do: it takes you to another world, and it gives you a tune to carry with you in your head when you’re feeling blue…”
For more information on the show, and for tickets, click here.
