The Drowsy Chaperone Melbourne Theatre Company Review
Saturday, January 30, 2010
, Posted by Should I See It at 5:28 PM
Show: The Drowsy Chaperone
Presented By: Melbourne Theatre Company
Directed By: Simon Phillips
Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Rhonda Burchmore, Shane Jacobson, Heidi Arena, Adam Murphy, Christie Whelan.
Plot: We are invited into the apartment of The Man in the Chair to listen to his favourite record, yes record, the 1928 musical The Drowsy Chaperone. As we listen, the show comes to life in his apartment.
Date Reviewed: Friday 29th January 2010.
'Every time I go to the theatre I say a little prayer: Dear God, let it be good!' says The Man in the Chair. 'Dear God, let it be good.' The simple wish of every theatre-goer. Sometimes prayers are answered. Other times..... not so much. But God must be smiling over The Drowsy Chaperone because it is, for the most part, good.
It helps that the foundations of the show are solid. The book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar is impeccable, and the music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison are infectious in the cheesy, nosalgic 1920s way they are supposed to be.
The story is simple enough to follow: We are invited into the apartment of the Man in The Chair, to listen to one of his favourite records, The Drowsy Chaperone. The show inside the show is set on the wedding day of glamorous Broadway starlet Janet Van De Graff and millionaire Robert Martin. Of course, the two must not see each other before the wedding. Mix ups and hilarity ensue: The wedding is on! The wedding is off! The wedding is on! The wedding is off!
The show within the show is a bit silly, but an accurate parody of 1920s musicals. But what brings The Drowsy Chaperone to life is the commentary from The Man in the Chair that gives the show a sort of post-modern self-reflexivity that we have come to expect from shows of this type.
Adam Murphy and Rhonda Burchmore
Now, on to the production. Let's start with the good.
The show is funny. Not in an 'oh yes that's clever' sort of way, but actually funny, without being (too) crude. You laugh from the moment The Man in the Chair says his prayer to the theatre gods to the curtain call. The show is exactly what The Man in The Chair promises: an escape. A witty, bright, sparkling escape.
The characters in 'the show within the show' are appropriately one dimensional. Some of the actors embrace this more than others. Adam Murphy as Latin lover Aldolpho is a particular stand out, as is the criminally underused Rohan Browne as George, the best man. 'Cold Feets', the tap dance between George and Robert to shake the grooms nerves is one of the highlights of the night. Alex Rathgeber as the groom Robert, is approriately schmacty, and manages to rollerskate blind folded with out falling over (something that particularly impressed me, some one who CAN'T rollerskate). Also a surpise is Heidi Arena, from Thank God You're Here, as she know precisely the type of character she is sending up.
But the show belongs to Rush, who inhabits the role of the man in the chair. The best moments are the ones where he joins in the dance numbers: his attempts at tap dancing, jumping on the bed, and, my favourite, drunkenly wandering around the background of 'Bride's Lament.' Too often I found myself looking at Rush, instead of 'the action.'
Geoffrey Rush
Now for the not so good.
The ladies in the cast (apart from Arena) unfortunately did not fare so well. It was almost as if they didn't really understand the 'shtick' they were suposed to be doing. Christie Whelan (Janet Van De Graaff) has a great voice, no doubt about it, but she never exuded any charisma to be believable as a Broadway starlet. Her lack of star quality meant that most of the time she was in danger of fading into the background.
Alex Rathgeber and Christie Whelan
Rhonda Burchmore as the Chaperone... I don't even know what to say about her. I don't understand her appeal. I don't think she is nearly as good as she is made out to be. In the three shows I have seen her in (The Drowsy Chaperone included) she was out-sung, out-acted, and out-danced by everyone else onstage.
And Robyn Nevin (who is, according to her bio, one of Australia's most acclaimed actors and directors) as Mrs Tottendale was....how do i put this nicely?.... awful. Cringeworthy. I just wanted her and her 'fancy dress' to spit-take themselves right off the stage.
The choreography ass uneven. 'Show Off' seemed to be screaming "look at all the ways we are trying not to copy the original choreography!" Yet both 'Cold Feets' and 'Bride's Lament' were fantastically orginal and the show was better off.
The Cast of The Drowsy Chaperone
The costumes- again uneven. Why is it that Melbourne designers cannot come up with attractive things for the female characters to wear? (see my rant on the costumes for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) Janet's two piece in 'Show Off' was not only ugly, but not in the period of the show.
And finally a note (or two) on the direction. As previously mentioned, the 1920s shtick was uneven. Alot of the theatricality was lost on several of the actors, incluing the ensemble. However, my biggest gripe was the use of space. Why did the entire show have to be squashed into the front third of the stage?! As a result, many of the musical numbers lost their impact. I understand that the 'show' was supposed to take place entirely within The Man in the Chair's apartment, but surely a better set design would have meant a more efficient use of space.
Should I See It?
All pictures courtesy of Melbourne Theatre Company.
Melbourne Theatre Company Official Site here.
The Drowsy Chaperone plays at the Arts Centre, Melbourne until the 27th February.
