Review of "The Drowsy Chaperone" from NYC trip

The Broadway production of “The Drowsy Chaperone” is best analogized to cotton candy; the high-energy song and dance numbers, lavish sets and 20s costumes send the audience into an intense, smile-laden sugar high, but also like the fast-dissolving circus treat, the show, touted as “a musical within a comedy,” only titillates the taste buds for its 105 minute runtime and the songs are ultimately forgettable.

Currently showing at the New York Marriott Marquis Theatre, “The Drowsy Chaperone”, based on the book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, is a play within a play narrated by a nameless character referred to simply as “Man in Chair” (a role typically filled by Mr. Martin himself, but played by swing actor Jay Douglas at the Jan. 2 performance). Man in Chair is the perfect postmodern creation — he makes abundant self-referential quips about theater and beats would-be detractors to the punch by criticizing the play’s flaws before they occur.

The narrative of the play within the play is an intentionally cookie-cutter plot akin to a Shakespearean comedy, replete with “mix-ups, mayhem” and of course a finale that involves several “gay weddings” (which Man in Chair clarifies “meant something different back then.”)
First-time director Casey Nicholaw does a fine job organizing the large ensemble cast and the audience is never left confused. Douglas plays Man in Chair with the appropriate amount of sarcasm and near perfect comic-timing that keeps the audience with him until the very end. But it is Sutton Foster, as bride-to-be Janet Van De Graaff, who is the obvious standout performer in the ensemble.

Foster’s rendition of “Show Off,” a song with a fairly formulaic tune and rather unremarkable lyrics, is surprisingly enjoyable; her impressive voice, immense stage presence and irresistible charisma elevate the otherwise bland song into an entertaining romp. While the audience is likely to forget exactly how the song goes, they’re sure to remember Foster’s performance, basking in the glow of camera flashes.

In the end, “The Drowsy Chaperone” is pure, unabashed escapism. And frankly, sometimes the sugary sweet simplicity and pleasure of cotton candy is the only thing that truly hits the spot.