That Marriott Magic Continues With A Snappy, Stylish 'Chaperone'

The Marriott Theatre has done it again! This north suburban theater in the round (well, square, really) has a long history of producing the first Chicago area version of Broadway musicals newly released for licensing, usually soon after the end of a national tour. And so it is with the light-as-a-feather "The Drowsy Chaperone," the 2006 Tony-winning Broadway musical (it won for Best Book and Best Score, among others) that opened last Wednesday evening up in Lincolnshire (in its first Chicago incarnation since a touring cast stopped downtown for two weeks in April of 2008). It was a star-studded affair, onstage and in the audience. And a delicious time was had by all! The cast looked like they were having so much fun with this love letter to the American Musical Theater that they never wanted the show to end. 

A post-modern show, really ("A Musical Within a Comedy," reads the subtitle), and an homage to the musical comedies of yesteryear (which were never anything like this, I'm pretty sure, but never mind), the book of "The Drowsy Chaperone" is a description of a fictional musical of the 1920s, told directly to the audience by the somewhat reclusive, just stereotypical enough to be real character called "Man in Chair." By Bob Martin (the original Canadian and New York "MiC") and Don McKellar, the book is hilarious, a little bit complicated, a little bit simple, and thoroughly winning. The songs, by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, are a really quite good pastiche of light musical comedy styles (more like the '30s than the '20s to me, but no matter), including the charm song ("Accident Waiting to Happen"), production number "(Toledo Surprise"), comedy number ("Aldolpho"), list song ("Show Off"), love song ("Love Is Always Lovely"), dance number ("Cold Feets"), anthem ("As We Stumble Along"), and, with full-cast reprises to end both acts, it's a regular master class in musical theater songwriting by Lehman Engel (look him up). 

Witnessing the Marriott's top-notch cast run gleefully through their paces on opening night were recent Jeff Award winners Summer Smart and Max Quinlan, power couple Heidi Kettenring and David Girolmo, Porchlight Music Theatre artistic axis Walter Stearns and Eugene Dizon, and many other local theater industry names. But the star power on the stage was even greater, many with Broadway credits and Marriott credits among the very long biographical sketches in the program. The Man in Chair of the evening, James Harms, just happens to have 8 Jeff Awards to his credit, and he is so delightful here, warm and funny, and nostalgic almost to the point of a wistful, touching sadness. This is a great, great performance by a legendary local star. And as the title character of his favorite musical, Linda Balgord (from Broadway's "The Pirate Queen," as well as Patti LuPone's standby in "Gypsy") is delicious, simultaneously elegant and frowzy, with champagne in both her hand and her voice at all times. I'm pretty sure she is having a blast in her latest return to Lincolnshire. 

The list of luminaries continues! As dotty party hostess Mrs. Tottendale, two-time Jeff winner Paula Scrofano turns the role into a battle of dim wits with the pretty sly Underling of three-time Jeff winner Gene Weygandt (the Wizard from the Chicago and Broadway companies of "Wicked"). Their old school comic antics (I don't want to give too much away here) are brilliant. Equally brilliant is the daft but skilled comic creation known as Aldolpho, the Latin lothario given genius life by born-in-a-trunk actor Adam Pelty. (As a boy he played the title role in "Oliver!" at the Marriott, and 15 years later was creating the choreography for the original Broadway production of "The Scarlet Pimpernel," one of his many Broadway acting credits.) Every actor in Chicago needs to see him in this role! 

The young lovers Robert and Janet (named after author Bob Martin and his wife, btw), are incarnated here by Tyler Hanes and Tari Kelly, both with previous Broadway and Marriott credits too. She is a grab bag of surprise talents (as the role requires) and he is charming, with just a touch of knowingness in his eye (it's as if the lights reflect off of his Hollywood smile and create a little bell sound in your head when the lights reach your eyes!). His tap duet with the George of two-time Jeff Award-winner Andrew Lupp is one of the most brilliantly executed dance moments seen in Chicago in quite some time--this number alone is worth the price of admission. Brilliant, you guys! 

David Lively's Feldzieg and Laura E. Taylor's Kitty both have to be seen to be believed, as recognizable show biz stock characters given fresh vitality. Melody Betts sings like a dream as always in the role of Trix, the Aviatrix, and brothers Adrian Aguilar and Alexander Aguilar play the two Gangsters (you have to ask?) with strength and panache. And rounding out the stellar cast are Cheryl Avery, Matthew Crowle, Erik Floor and Katie Spelman, flawless in their singing and dancing, all under the detailed direction and choreography of that always inventive and incisive winner of 16 Jeff Awards, Marc Robin. Who else could have put together such a perfect and talented cast, and staged their comic and lyrical flights of period fancy with such spot-on style, split-second timing and musical comedy joy? 

"The Drowsy Chaperone" may actually work better in the round than it does in a proscenium theater, as it is much simpler to get characters on and off stage (and in and out of Man in Chair's mind) when there are no walls or furniture pieces to contend with. (Harms is firmly ensconced in a swivel chair in one corner of the stage, alongside his beloved stereo system and not much else.)  The clever stage floor and a few pieces that fly in or get carried about are all that is required (sets by Thomas M. Ryan and properties by Jesse Gaffney), and the show is clean and immediate as a result. Resident designers Nancy Missimi (costumes) and Diane Ferry Williams (lighting) do their usual fine work. The act two finale sequence is designed and staged in an extremely clever way. And Patti Garwood and her eight-piece orchestra make Doug Peck's musical direction pop with pizzazz and float with elegance when needed. 

"The Drowsy Chaperone" isn't a masterpiece, but at the Marriott Theatre it is certainly a worthy evening's diversion of charm and romantic humor. The whole thing seems a bit light in staying power, but while you are there, the laughs and the joy that musicals bring to those under their spell (and who isn't?) are a surefire antidote for what ails ya. Sit back and relax, and you will most assuredly smile. Repeatedly. Ok, throughout! A trip to Lincolnshire these days is a step toward paradise, and one that comes at a much-needed time for us all. The show starts and ends sweetly, and in between will take you to a neverland of bygone happiness. Enjoy! Why not? 

"The Drowsy Chaperone" is onstage at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, Illinois, now through June 27, 2010. Performances are Wednesdays through Sundays, and ticket prices range from $35 to $48, plus tax and handling fees. Call the box office at 847-634-0200 or visit www.ticketmaster.com. For more information, visit www.MarriottTheatre.com.   

Photos:   (top) Tyler Hanes and Andy Lupp; Jim Harms, Adam Pelty and Linda Balgord; Tari Kelly, (bottom) Andy Lupp (and cast)

Photo Credit: Peter Coombs and the Marriott Theatre.

  

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.