![]() ![]() ![]() The last time the West End Whingers hit Broadway (almost four years ago) it was not an altogether satisfactory experience. Theatreguymike on Some mopping up – Hot Ti… ≫ Reseña – Ricitos d… on Review – Goldilocks and… ≫ Chiwetel Ejiofor e… on Review – Light Shining i… ≫ Reseña – El novio,… on Review – The Boy Friend,… ≫ Reseña – Querido E… on Review – Dear Evan Hanse… ≫ Reseña - Pulmones,… on Review – Lungs, Old… ≫ Reseña – Groan Ups… on Review – Groan Ups, Vaud… ≫ Longing at the Ham… on Review – Longing, Hampst… ≫ Reseña – Un veneno… on Review – A Very Expensiv… ≫ Una celebración de… on Review – Celebrity Autob… ≫ Reseña – Hansard,… on Review – Hansard, Nation… ≫ Reseña – Evita, Re… on Review – Evita, Regent… ≫ Review – Blues in… on Review – Blues in the Ni… Review - Bent - straight theatre at its best.Review - Waste by Granville Barker at the Almeida. ![]() Review - Liberace: Live From Heaven, Assembly George Square, Edinburgh Fringe.Review - Paradise Found, Menier Chocolate Factory.Review - Dear World, Charing Cross Theatre.Review - Angels In America : A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, Part 1: Millennium Approaches, National Theatre.And in the end, even the musical haters left the theatre saying, “That was pretty good. Not only did we laugh through the entire show, but the boys did, too. You’re going to love it,” just like I was telling mine just a few hours before. I know the girl in front of me did the same thing because I heard her telling the boy next to her, “It’s so great. I’ll leave you with this: I, just like the girl sitting in front of me, dragged my musical-wary boyfriend to the show on Saturday night. A little something for when you’re feeling blue. Something to take you away from the dreary horrors of the real world. And it gives you a little tune to carry with in your head. “I know it’s not a perfect show… it does what a musical is supposed to do it takes you to another world. You have to understand, I love this show so much… To an almost silent theatre, he says, “It was ruined… One note away from the end of the show, and it was ruined… It’s so frustrating. ![]() The audience is quietest near the end, when the performance-within-a-performance is interrupted by a series of phone calls and knocks on the Man’s door. The other great thing about “The Drowsy Chaperone” is that it provides an escape for an entire generation of theatre-goers who, like the Man in Chair, often feel “blue” for no particular reason at all. Songs like “Show Off” and “Love Is Always Lovely In the End” only drive the point home further. The acting, lines and lyrics are all intentionally (and doubly) over-the-top, while the Man in Chair interrupts the musical constantly (and causes the actors to freeze in mid-air) in order to poke fun of the very same musical he claims to adore. What’s funny is that the entire musical is itself a parody of musicals. He then proceeds to play his favorite musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” a fictional musical from the 1920s, as audience members watch the musical unfold before their eyes (while the Man in Chair pauses to comment on the acting and lyrics and to share random bits of trivia about musical theatre). When the lights go up, he asks, “How are we today?” before going on to explain that he feels blue, and when he feels blue, he likes to escape to the glamorous, carefree era of the 1920s – which he does by listening to his music. Here’s how the show works: The main character, known to the audience as Man in Chair, speaks directly to the audience throughout the entire show. It’s the show’s entire premise, to poke fun at the classic 1920s musical and its over-the-top acting and go-to character types. Why all the laughs? Because “The Drowsy Chaperone” was written with both musical lovers and haters in mind. Both nights, the audience roared with laughter. The second time was here in Tuscaloosa, at Shelton State’s Bean-Brown last Saturday night. The first time I saw “The Drowsy Chaperone” was in New York City in 2007, its opening year on Broadway and my junior year of high school. Yes, this is the main character of a musical talking. Well, it’s so disappointing, isn’t it? You know what I do when I’m sitting in a darkened theatre waiting for the curtain to rise? I pray. ![]()
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