The Drowsy Chaperone

This show took me by surprise - funny, outrageous, poignant by turns, but mainly hilarious. The Man in The Chair, Robert Fyfe, used his years of experience to make this testing role seem easy. He held the audience in the palm of his hand. At the start he reminisces about a favourite musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, puts the record on the turntable and his flat morphs into the Broadway stage of that show. He takes us through the characters and events and we never forget he is in control as, when he halts the record, the action on stage is suspended. The discipline of the cast was wonderful. Each character is larger than life in this story of a planned wedding between Janet Van de Graff (Roslyn Hogg)  and Robert Martin (Ross Nicol) and of what goes wrong with a Best Man George, (Antony Carter)  growing more demented by the minute. The Drowsy Chaperone (Jennie Wilkie) supposed to be looking after her charge is a diva in her own right. And among all the action are two gangsters (Graeme Mackay and Craig McCallum) in various guises there to protect their boss Feldzeig’s interests (Tom Russell).  Each role is a peach in itself: the po-faced Underling (Ken Christie), the forgetful Mrs Tottendale (Susan B. Russell), the sex kitten Kitty (Ariana Balkwill) and the great singer Aldolpho (J. Campbell Kerr), Trix the Aviatrix(Chris Taylor) and Superintendant (William Cunningham ). All entered their roles with complete belief in who they are. Class acts indeed.  Singing was true throughout. The 20’s music was catchy and quirky. The tippy-toed dancers tidily added to their roles as efficient scene changers. The chorus as servants were well choreographed.. The 20’s set, with the art deco wall lights and real posters and photos of the time, started off as the Man in the Chair’s kitchen; then hotel rooms; or a moment changed by a frame of a mirror- simple, ingenious and effective. Costumes too detailed the era. This was a show of sheer entertainment achieved by the talents of the actors interpreting their roles and by the direction of officials with a real understanding of all the nuances of the show. Superlatives abound.

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