EDINBURGH 2018 - Review: THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, Paradise in Augustines

The Drowsy Chaperone will speak to any musical theatre fan who finds escapism in showtunes. A charming, heart-warming and frequently hilarious show, it features an ageing, reclusive theatre aficionado, who is dealing with feeling blue by listening to his favourite musical, a typical 1920s romantic comedy, all the while keeping up a wry running commentary to the audience.

Performed by local group EUSOG, in their 25th year at the Fringe, this is a stripped-down production, with the staging generally adequate, but lacking the suggestion of the show-within-a-show coming to life inside its fan's apartment - meaning that Man In Chair (Gordon Stackhouse) is limited in space to move around the action.

The singing is uniformly strong, with Niamh Higgins in the title role nearly bringing the house down with her performance of the amusingly anthemic "As We Stumble Along". Doug Stephenson as bridegroom Robert brings boundless energy and flashing teeth to every number he appears in, and all of the cast inhabit their larger-than-life characters well, if a little on the broader side.

Unfortunately, the laidback direction betrays a regrettable lack of ambition, with certain key numbers lacking the delicious irony that offers an additional level of comedy.

"Show Off", for example, is conceived as a number where the leading lady protests too much that she is tired of being the centre of attention while doing everything possible to retain that position - from costume changes to plate-spinning - but that visual dimension was entirely lost here, as was the physical comedy of blindfold rollerskating in "Accident Waiting To Happen".

While this is the Fringe, with understandably lower expectations on stage effects, more inventiveness in translating the script to stage would have quelled the feeling of missed opportunities.

A love song to the power of theatre, The Drowsy Chaperone is a delightful show, and this production has many strong elements, but never quite meets its full potential.

The Drowsy Chaperone's run has now finished

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