THE DROWSY CHAPERONE first preview reviews? — Page 4

You know why I think this show works so well? Because the lead character -- "man in chair" -- is a total snob who lives in almost squalor. His snobbery is like a defense mechanism, like the poor guy who makes fun of the rich because his humor is all he has. None of the "in-jokes" come off as elitist because they're coming from the least elite person imaginable. Musical theatre veterans will love all the send-ups of the stock theatre characters because they've seen them all before and it's fun to see the genre get poked fun of. But it's also genuinely rip-roaringly funny on its own terms. Even if you never saw a musical, you can still laugh at the silly characters because the "send-up" is not the only point of reference for the humor. It's actually funny to watch Georgia Engel do that thing to "Underling" that she does (to avoid spoilering) because it's a great comic bit.

And then there's Sutton's song with the quick-changes. Hair-raising! And it just keeps topping itself. And someone mentioned Beth Leavel. Because of the presence of Man In Chair setting each number up, she gets context when she starts her big number. If left out there without this context, it wouldn't be as funny. He tells us, by way of narration, why it's funny before she ever starts it.

IOW, EVERYONE gets in on the joke. And these jokes become even more contextual when we're given the backstory of the "actors" who are in the show within the show. It's as if he's painting an entire world up there where we get to see not just the show, but all the asides and personal stories and gossip that deepen our appreciation of each moment as we get to them.

It's truly one of the best books ever written for a Broadway show. The balancing act that this show carefully maintains is amazing in that there's never a misstep. Finally, when it begins to wrap up and all of us are drawn into Man In Chair's passion and fervor, it's impossible to not feel yourself moved to tears. It's too joyful, too real, too impossibly absurd to not simply give yourself over to it.

Steve Schalchlin
Living In The Bonus Round

MichaelBennett wrote:
I'm curious how people think this show would play on tour or on Broadway a year from now - in other words with an audience of tourists or people who are not die hard musical fans. Does it have enough cross over appeal?

FWIW, MB, last night I sat next to a real boor of a woman, and her idiotic 20-something daughter who didn't seem to enjoy the show at all. Her stupid, Dylan's Candy Bar cap notwithstanding, I figured they must be there because they wanted to be, it being the first preview and all. I mean, wouldn't the tourists opt for Phanthom or Chicago on a Monday night instead? I guess not. When they weren't chomping away on the bag of pretzels they brought, or opening and closing their cell phones (presumably to check the time), they were chattering on and on, oblivious to the shushing and dirty looks the rest of us were giving them.

Not once did Miss Dylan's Candy Bar Cap applaud, laugh, or even grunt any sort of approval for the show. While the rest of us were laughing our heads off, Miss DCBC just sat there like she was watching something dreary and dreadful, like, well, WOMAN IN WHITE ('Catty, party of one, please'). Of course they were the first up the aisle when the curtain fell. Too bad, for I wanted to suggest that, next time, they stay in their room at the Howard Johnsons with their bag of pretzels and watch a tractor-pull on television.

So, in answer to your question MichaelBennett, I'm hoping these bumpkins were the exception and not the rule or this show may not have the broad appeal we who love it hope it does.

---

The thing that did it for me about the show was the very end when you see how deeply this sad little man loves musical theater and how it's his way of escaping life. I'm pretty sure everyone can relate to that in some way, even if their personal "escape" is specifically musicals. I was also surprised by how emotional I felt at the end . . .

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD . . .



When the characters each start singing their signature songs and invite the Man in Chair into their world, the look of sheer joy on Bob Martin's face was quite wonderful because I know exactly what that's like. And I really liked how the curtain call was still a part of the show with Martin getting the star bow treatment and then the set reverting back to his apartment and the cast exiting through the doors, fridge, etc. and finally ending with him back in his chair holding the record as if even the bows were a part of his imagination.

END SPOILERS


Basically I really loved that even though it is incredibly funny, and obviously somewhat self-aware, it still has a lot of heart.

>When they weren't chomping away on the bag of pretzels they brought, or opening and closing their cell phones (presumably to check the time), they were chattering on and on, oblivious to the shushing and dirty looks the rest of us were giving them.

Grrrrrr. I remember once being at a show where a family decided to share an entire cellophane bag of candy. It was a symphony of crackling and chomping and "Give me another". Don't they know that many of us save for weeks or months to be able to save enough to see this one performance? I don't begrudge a single dime I spend at the theatre, but I would like to be in an audience full of people who are at least giving some respect to what's going on.

My husband (who usually SLEEPS through musicals) actually enjoyed this show in LA...it was the first time since DRS that he commented how much he enjoyed a musical. So, he is definitely not 'in the know' about the jokes, but he still liked the show.

I think this will be the 'little musical that could'....just wish it had a smaller venue so it will be around a long time!

Humph. I am sorry those tourists spoiled it for you hushpuppy. It was such a great show. I probably would have killed them.

---

How full was the theatre? I'll just die if the grosses come out next week and say it's at 50%, even if it is just the previews.

---

They are discounting like crazy. Attendance percentages are high, grosses not so high.

Huh?

VinnieTheIceman: I mean, stop repeating yourself saying "This show will flop" over and over again. it's getting on my nerves, and I'm sure quite a few other BWWers nerves as well. Now you may have been accurate about WiW failing (let's please not get back to that again, thank you very much) but that doesn't necesscarily mean you will be right about TDC. Just stop it.

Thank you.

---

Updated On: 4/4/06 at 09:46 PM

Oh just ignore the bitchy show queens. They like to pretend they are oh-so-sophisticated by sneering at shows that have generated a positive buzz. (Read some of TheEnchantedHunter's posts and you'll see what I mean.) In reality, they just look foolish. If someone has a legitimate criticism of a show they will state it in a forthright manner. Not just play the sniper in with negative comments and dire predictions then go back to lurking. Vinnie's comment about the grosses is ludicrous: the show has only played 2 previews. The grosses for this week won't even be published until next week.

I am glad so many are enjoying the show. We thought it was charming and funny when it played here about 5 years ago. I'll be interested to see what changes have been made. I should dig up my playbill and post the original song list to compare.

---

DG - That's great! You saw the show and didn't like it and stated exactly why. An informed opinion is never wrong, nor unwelcome here.

What I was objecting to were the unsubstantiated comments being made by the "snipers" who - for all we know - haven't even seen the show yet.

---