DROWSY WITH SAGET

[BROADWAYFAN3]

Posted: 12/14/07 at 7:46am

LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING DC, AGAIN THIS TIME WITH BOB SAGET AND CINDY WILLIAMS.

AM NY LIKES SAGET

amNY.com
Saget brings melancholy to 'Drowsy'
By Matt Windman
3:29 PM EST, December 13, 2007

This is not the gleefully perverted Bob Saget that we have come to know from his numerous comedy specials. This also isn't the compulsively clean, family friendly Danny Tanner that we grew accustomed to on "Full House." To play the Man in Chair in the crowd-pleasing musical-within-a-play "The Drowsy Chaperone," Bob Saget has transformed himself into the closeted, musical theater-obsessive nerd originated brilliantly by Bob Martin.

A year and a half ago, no one suspected "The Drowsy Chaperone" would become a sleeper-hit. (For the record, the success of "Jersey Boys" was a surprise, too.) Its setup is simple yet unusual: we, the audience, have entered the crammed apartment of a middle-aged man obsessed with the record of a long-forgotten 1920s musical comedy. After his ten-minute musing on theater in general, he starts the record and "The Drowsy Chaperone" explodes into his kitchen.

For the most part, Saget is a riot whenever he improvises new comedic moments. But whenever Saget beholds dreamboat male baritone Percy Hyman in performance, he checks his pants in fear of displaying an erection. But these moments feel forced and distracting, highlighting how Saget's Man in Chair never comes off as authentically gay.

Still, what is remarkable about Saget's performance is his violent mix of melancholy, anger and intermittent joy. It is far different from the giddy, lighter performance of Bob Martin. By heightening these emotions, Saget successfully leads the audience into an emotional journey serving as a companion drama to the musical itself.

Another big delight in a return visit to "Drowsy" is witnessing the gorgeous Mara Davi as showoff diva Janet Van De Graaff, who delivers high belting power and dazzling enthusiasm. Other performances to be treasured include original cast members Beth Leavel as the inebriated title character and Danny Burstein as the dangerously silly Adolpho.

Marquis Theatre, 1535 Broadway, 212-307-4100, $25-111.25. Tues 8pm, Wed 2 & 8pm, Thurs-Fri 8pm, Sat 2 & 8pm, Sun 3pm. Open Run.

[PlayhouseBeauty]

Posted: 12/14/07 at 8:43am

I saw the show with Bob Saget on Wednesday afternoon and thought he was wonderful! He Did put some "dirtyness" in it. Like with the whole checking his pants thing after Percy Hyman and there was a point where he got so close to Troy Bitton Johnson (Robert Martin) that it looked like he was going to kiss him then I think the phone rang or something like that I can't remember, but after that you could see Troy was trying so hard not to laugh. Also the point where he eats the power bar or whatever it is the bar starts to i guess u could say melt foward and Bob pushed it back up and then looked at it and ate it. It was just the way he did it. It didn't looked right at all lol...but it was funny! Overall I thought Bob Saget and Cindy Williams were wonderful. I actually liked Cindy more then Joanne Worley. But they both were very funny in the role i just perfered Cindy's version of Mrs. Tottendale better! :)

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/14/07 at 10:18am

Saget was very strong. It was Davi I detested.

[PlayhouseBeauty]

Posted: 12/14/07 at 11:21am

I liked Davi in the role of Janet....Maybe its because I have never seen Sutton Foster in the role but I definately thought Mara Davi held her own...and she has that classic look for that time and the voice to boot.

[bwayrocks_ca]

Posted: 12/14/07 at 1:49pm

I saw it (again) last night, and I think that Bob Saget gets better with every performance. He was much less stiff and had better timing with his lines than when I saw him before the strike.

And the "checking his pants" thing and getting close to Percy Hyman have been in the show since Bob Martin was there. I think he's great and agree with amNY's review.

I think Bob is the funniest during his bcefa speech at the end when he can improvise. You can tell that he (and the rest of the cast and musicians) has so much fun every night with this show. It's amazing to me that the original casts members who are still in the show look like they are having as much fun as when they were in LA at the pre-Broadway run.

Also, Cindy brings back the elements that Georgia originally played in the show as Mrs. Tottendale including the costumes and dance moves. She doesn't look comfortable on stage yet which can be expected as she has just started (ie. she does not know all the words to the ensemble songs).

P.S. If you haven't seen this show yet (or even if you have), go see it (again).

[Timmer]

Posted: 12/14/07 at 2:02pm

How long are you expecting Drowsy to run?

[Dollypop]

Posted: 12/14/07 at 7:56pm

Forever if they get Liza well enough to join the cast.

[Tkt2Ride]

Posted: 12/14/07 at 8:30pm

Thanks Dolly that was a funny Holiday Gift. I'd say until March but sales really do need to pick up more if we want to even hope for any March show dates. Thank you to everyone who is supporting this funny show.

I don't expect or really want it to push Cry Baby back from it's schedule but I do feel apprehensive about the weather in New York during February. I don't want to spend half of my trip stuck in some obscure Airport because of the harsh Winter weather. So hopefully they will make up their minds by January when to officially close the show.

I'm hoping until the first week of March but we still have nothing concrete and that must be making it difficult for those who love the show but prefer to plan their vacations in advance.

I know there are more than a few other shows I would like to see but I rather travel when the risk of bad weather is far behind me. So I would only come earlier to see Drowsy once more.

[singingbackup]

Posted: 12/15/07 at 3:26pm

First let me say that I have been in love with this show since the second day of previews in Los Angeles and will forever hold it in my heart as such pure joy to watch/listen. And yes, Bob Martin is transcendent in the role as Man In Chair.

But Bob Sadget (spelling intended) is just not up to the task. His take on the role (squinting aside) is that of a sometimes bitter, angry, sad individual. He lands some of the comedy, but there is no overall sense of joy to Man In Chair, which is crucial, considering "The Drowsy Chaperone" is supposed to drown his sorrows and lift him to new happiness every time he listens to it, chasing his blues away. It is hard to tell he's gay, both in the literal sense and the old-fashion notion of the word.

I did see John Glover and he was a much better actor, though his take also was more nervous and manic than giddy.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/15/07 at 3:40pm

I thought the sad tone in Saget's performance fit the role well.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 12/15/07 at 4:12pm

Agreed. The Man in the Chair is supposed to be a little blue anyway, that's why he's listening to the record. Plus his seeming depressed and closeted nature added a lot of layers to the role and I felt made him more sympathetic.

[justafan2]

Posted: 12/15/07 at 4:30pm

Did I just read that Danny B. is going to do another show? Is he leaving Drowsy? (He is incredibly funny as Adolpho)

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/15/07 at 4:36pm

Burstein is to play Billis in South Pacific.

Drowsy will be gone by then, anyway, so I'm told.

[PlayhouseBeauty]

Posted: 12/15/07 at 5:08pm

I personally think that John Glover and Bob Saget (whom I have both seen in DC) made the Man In Chair character there own. They didn't copy Bob Martin, which I thought was good...They gave man in chair some more sides to him...

[Tkt2Ride]

Posted: 12/15/07 at 5:15pm

Thanks for the reviews on Bob. I wondered if his not being Canadian could be a problem. I still felt that he was a fairly good choice and it seems Bob Martin is rooting for him. He is trying. I wish he skipped the glasses though. I always thought my old Theatre lovers were kind of "hip" even in their eccentric persona's. I admired their sense of culture and vast knowledge of the "arts". Usually, they had a certain style and grace. The good ones weren't too snobbish, you just appreciated that they knew their art. That and possessed some really great records.

So going nerdy seems more stereotype without really "knowing" these people well. I guess it seemed Bob Martin and Jonathan Crombie had put it more into the "here and now" because we do know there are still those out there who hoade records and worship them for their value as much as their substance.

I hope Bob S. got that and isn't trying to play him off as a complete hermit, who may have never set foot in society except to visit the local Trader Joes and argue with the butcher.


Yes, Danny, Beth and Mara will be working on something else this Summer,that is why I am unsure of when the show will end. It seems reasonable since unfortunately casting MIC had been such a struggle. That and for me the advertising angle was kind of weak.

Too bad but good for Danny because it will be South Pacific and he has won a very funny role. So if you can, see Drowsy soon. The show will still be on Tour until the end of the Summer as well. I read that some deal was made with Australia but not sure of that source and they still hope for a European Tour, though how and who will be behind it is still unknown.

[singingbackup]

Posted: 12/15/07 at 5:24pm

I think you can convey sadness without being so sour throughout, or depressed. Similar to the character in TAKE ME OUT, where he comes alive and into his own when discussing his new found passion, I look to see that magic spark, that sudden fire that comes from sharing with others their true passion. I don't get that from Saget, nor did I get much of that from Glover. To each his own I reckon