Drowsy Chaperone Reviews- Page 7

[inla2]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 8:54am

Wall Street Journal..."best musical"...a rave.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 9:30am

Finally back in NYC and saw the show last night. I had a fantastic time, though admittedly this morning looking back on it, it's not exactly an evening that lingers and resonates in memory.

The show has flaws - the ending seems just a bit lacking. I think I expected a bigger ephiphany with the Man in the Chair's story. Instead we get something fun and silly, which while keeping with the rest of the show's tone, does feel just a little tacked on. And the score is a little undistinguished.

But the cast is completely game and for the most part I was delighted. A piece of completely original, light musical theatre, I'd definitely recommend it. I'm not sold that this is going to win the Tony, but its going to have a huge life in regional theatre - that's fo' sho'

[Hawker]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 10:37pm

"The effort required to produce this show was basically (1) decide to mount the show -and find the money to do so, (2) acquire the rights to the music (3) obtain the life rights of the members and (4) hire someone to write a book BASED ON THE LIVES OF REAL PEOPLE."

This, I think, is a gross underestimation of what it took to pull "Jersey Boys" off.

First, you had to have two guys like Des McAnuff and Marshall Brickman realize that the backstory of "The Four Seasons" had an intrinsically dramatic component that was THOROUGHLY unknown to the groups legions of fans--that is, great DRAMATIC source material

Next, you had to conceive of a narrative structure in which to frame the story that what would make it a completely differant animal from "All Shook Up", "Good Vibrations", "Mama Mia" or "Smokey Joe's Cafe" that trotted out songs for no discernable reason.

I can think of three shows that won Best Musical. Two borrowed exclusively from previously written material. The first "Contact" which employed music from, among others, Bobby Darin, Robert Palmer, and Benny Goodman brilliantly. The second was "Ain't Misbehavin" which used 30 of Fats Wallers songs and a cast of five to paint a picture of Harlem in the 20's and 30's, and third was "Crazy for You" which included about more than 20 Gershwin songs, only five of which had been written for "Girl Crazy", the ancestor of "Crazy for You".

Each of these shows had one thing going for them the year they one: brilliant moments. "Crazy for You" and "Contact" had Susan Stroman's stunning choreography and "Ain't Misbehavin" had two and a half hours of drop-dead, roof raising renditons of previously recorded music.

The Best Musical Award, in my opinion, should go to the greatest accomplishment of the year by a new musical. Marshall Brickman's book for " Jersey Boys" is extraordinary.It has moments in it that sound as if they could have been written by David Mamet or Arthur Miller--an incredible accomlishment for a piece of musical theater. I haven't seen a musical in god knows how many years that could have you on the edge of your seat because of its brillaint dialogue.

Updated On: 5/7/06 at 10:37 PM

[sabrelady]

Posted: 5/6/06 at 11:23am

Just a side note, I had to laugh as to how right I was. The Toronto Star 's Richard Ouzanian who prviously DISliked the show in it's other incarnations here now likes it. NOW he even states a preference for certain performers?performances from the Toronto show. It's still true, Ya gotta leave Canada to get any respect IN Canada!

[songplugger]

Posted: 5/6/06 at 12:26pm

The only thing that might keep DROWSY from getting the Tony is the fact that is score is the weakest link in the show - but then, so is THE PRODUCERS.

What's criminal is that the most interesting new scores this year were done off-Broadway and are ineligible. Heck, ALTAR BOYZ has a more interesting score than anything this year.
Updated On: 5/6/06 at 12:26 PM

[Corine2]

Posted: 5/6/06 at 11:28pm

Just back from Drowsy.
I really adored Bob Martin. Some of his one liners were really funny.
Beth Leavel though, steals every scene.
It was hilarious tonight.


Most gorgeous costumes this season better go to Drowsy Chaperone.
I am in love with every outfit that Beth wears.
The black shimery dress in velvet is breathtaking with that gorgeous shimery cape.

Updated On: 5/7/06 at 11:28 PM

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 12:53pm

allofmylife, that's a perfect way to put it. People commonly say, "Oh my gosh, I loved [________]," and they'll think it should win Best Musical just because it's their favorite show. But it's all about the stuff BEHIND it that makes it the best, and while the entire award isn't merely how much effort goes in (the final product does count, you know), it's still always lost in translation. Well said.

[Hawker]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 2:33pm

Am I the only one that sees remarkable similarities between TDC and "The Purple Rose of Cairo"? MIC escapes into theater; Mia Farrow looked for escape at the movies.

MIC was obsessed with TDC, a third-rate musical; Farrow with "The Purple Rose of Cairo"--a third-rate adventure film.

MIC plows through the fourth wall; the leading man in Allen's picture steps out into the audience.

MIC is ultimately invited to join the show. Farrow is taken into the film.

TDC borrows brilliantly but with few exceptions that is the name of the game. Shakespeare may have been the best at it freely lifting entire story lines and long passages from other sources.

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 3:03pm

You're not the only one to see the similarities, and I'm glad you brought it up. I find the whole concept of "created" people or characters coming to life out of someone's imagination fascinating... and very emotional. I was pretty choked up at the end of Drowsy when he "joins" them.

Yes, they "borrowed from the best," as you say.

There are other instances that come to mind though that pack a big punch besides The Purple Rose of Cairo... The end of Sunday in the Park, for example, when the characters from Seurat's painting come back one last time and bow in unison respectfully to the "modern" George. Also the characters in City of Angels talking to their author. At the very end of the 1952 film "Moulin Rouge" the people from Lautrec's wonderful paintings come back at his death bed to say their final goodbye. I'm not trying to take anything away from Drowsy in the least, and neither are you... and to watch Man In Chair "take off" with the rest of the cast on the wings of that airplane was a genuine thrill.

So Sondheim/Lapine, John Huston, Cy Coleman/Larry Gelbart, etc. all borrowing from the best. This probably goes back even BEFORE the Pygmalion legend of the artist who falls in love with his statue and then watches her come to life.

Updated On: 5/7/06 at 03:03 PM