Show reviewed:  The Drowsy Chaperone
(http://www.drowsychaperone.com/tour/tour_home.php)
Music and Lyrics:  Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
Book:  Bob Martin and Don McKellar
Date saw the show:  June 20, 2008
Place saw the show:  Kansas City, Missouri
Principal Leads: Jonathan Crombie, Mark Ledbetter, Andrea Chamberlain, Georgia Engel, Richard Vida
Director and Choreographer:  Casey Nicholaw 

Reviewed by:  Deborah Ground Buckner (Kansas Correspondent - USA)

Kansas City's historic Starlight Theatre is itself as much an attraction as the professional concerts and theater productions it hosts.  The outdoor theater opened in 1950 and is the second largest theater of its kind in the United States.  With its gift store, restaurant, concession stands, and "Walk of Stars" honoring 94 famous performers who have played at Starlight, the theater is a favorite destination for both Kansas City visitors and natives.   

This week, Starlight played host to a touring production of The Drowsy Chaperone, a sweet serving of cotton candy for the theater-lover's soul.  The play had its first staging at the 1999 Toronto Fringe Festival, then appeared in other Toronto venues before going on a preview tour that led to a run on Broadway beginning in 2006.  In 674 performances, Chaperone swept the Tony awards with 2006 honors for Best Book in a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Beth Leavel), Best Original Score, and Best Scenic Design of a Musical.  It received eight other Tony nominations. 

The premise of the show is made clear from the beginning.  Curtains open to a darkened stage and the sound of a man's voice lamenting "I hate theater.  It's so disappointing."  That is why, he shares, he always prays at the beginning of a show:  "Dear lord in heaven, please let it be good and let it be short." 

The lights come up to reveal the Man in Chair (Jonathan Crombie), an avid buff of theater the way it used to be.  He puts on a record album of the great 1920s musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, and the play comes to life in his small apartment.  He explains the plot:  Janet Van De Graaff (Andrea Chamberlain), famed Broadway star, is giving up her career to marry Robert Martin (Mark Ledbetter).  Everyone gathers for the wedding at the home of Mrs. Tottendale (Georgia Engel, who originated the role on Broadway).  Everyone includes Broadway producer Feldzieg (Cliff Bemis) and his girlfriend Kitty, who wants to be a star (Marla Mindelle), a pair of gangsters disguised as bakers (Paul and Peter Riopelle), George, the best man (Richard Vida), Adolpho (James Moye), a romantic overacting Latin lover, nd, of course, Janet's chaperone (Nancy Opel).  It is the chaperone's duty to make certain the bride and groom do not see each other on their wedding day until the ceremony begins.  That, essentially, is the plot.

One fast and energetic musical number after another follows with Man in Chair giving running commentary on the action and the legendary actors who originated the roles in the play.  Mark Ledbetter and Richard Vida give a wonderful display of 1920s tap dancing in the number "Cold Feets," and Andrea Chamberlain demonstrates how ready Janet truly is to give up her career in the song "Show Off."  As Adolpho, James Moye chews the scenery delightfully, particularly in a scene with the Drowsy Chaperone, and Nancy Opel truly is a star playing a star playing a title role.

Mrs. Tottendale and her underling named Underling remind us of just how bad some vaudeville comedy routines could be.  Georgia Engel, best known for her role as Georgette on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, proves once again she is a talented trouper able to join in some spirited dance steps and play her comedy to the back row of the theater just as successfully as she played to the small screen. 

Brothers Paul and Peter Riopelle are delightful playing the gangsters disguised as bakers with all the stereotyping of a 1920s production.  Their movements are synchronized, their dialogue peppered with horrible puns using baking and pastry terminology to describe gangland actions.  They shine in the song "Toledo Surprise." 

I didn't hear anyone walk away humming or whistling a memorable song from the show, nor were there any quotable lines being quoted.  This is a piece of theatrical fluff to be enjoyed in one sitting.  And that is the point.  Despite the presence of a lovely restaurant on the grounds of Starlight, the concession stands were busy selling frosty malts and cotton candy.  Sometimes a little junk food is just what a person craves.  Likewise, not every theatrical experience has to be "meaningful."  Sometimes, it's enough just for the show to be "good." 

The Drowsy Chaperone plays next at the Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City, then The Ahmanson Theatre at the Music Center in Los Angeles.  The complete tour schedule can be found at http://www.drowsychaperone.com/tour/tour_route.php.