May 02, 2006

'Drowsy Chaperone' the new Broadway sleeper?

Oft referred to as the "sleeper" hit of the season, "The Drowsy Chaperone" opened on Broadway last night, with critics split over the merits of this new musical.

Some love it, others, (especially the Post, as usual,) hates it. A modern narrator, Man in Chair, sitting in his dowdy apartment puts on the record of "The Drowsy Chaperone" and the (previously non-existant) '20s era musical comes to life before his eyes. It stars Tony winner Sutton Foster and Tony Britton Johnson, Georgia Engel, Edward Hibbert, Eddie Korbich, Lenny Wolpe, Jennifer Smith and Bob Martin, who co-wrote the book with Don McKellar. Casey Nicholaw directed and choreographed. The music is by Greg Morrison and lyrics were written by Lisa Lambert.

A smattering of the reviews:

Daily News - "We laugh because the cast is extraordinarily talented. Sutton Foster is expectedly adorable as the heroine. Beth Leavel is droll as her chaperone. Jennifer Smith is perfect as a showbiz bimbo. Danny Burstein is hilarious as an aging lothario."

New York Times - "Though this revved-up spoof of a 1920's song-and-dance frolic, as imagined by an obsessive 21st-century show queen, seems poised to become the sleeper of the Broadway season, it is not any kind of a masterpiece."

Variety - "A witty valentine from musical theater lovers to the frothy tuners of the 1920s, this refreshing cocktail of a show gets the audience on its side in the opening minutes and keeps them there for the duration. Sure, the score, by Second City alumni Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, is pastiche, and purists can quibble about its period authenticity. But like "The Producers," this is superior, smartly crafted pastiche and no less entertaining for being so."

Post - "I understand that this little, horrifyingly pastiche musical started life in someone's living room in Canada. It should have stayed there. It must have been a hoot."

Newsday - "'Drowsy' - already buzzed about as the sleeper of the season - gets a little tiresome and, even at 105 minutes, a bit overextended. But it also is sweetheart of an escapist musical that celebrates the foolish magic of escapist distractions. Even if we don't agree with the Man that 'the point' of theater is 'to be entertained [by] a story and a few good songs,' he makes it feel unseemly to argue with him now."

Sun - "With a marvelous actor named Bob Martin serving as tour guide through both incarnations, "Drowsy" will offer hard-core musical theater buffs a buoyant trip down a faux memory lane. Everyone else will get a fizzy, smart, and very funny look at how even what seem like the most disposable bits of pop culture can take root in one's unsuspecting head and heart."

Associated Press - "Even the look of the musical is fun. Designer David Gallo's drab apartment magically transforms into the perfect musical-comedy setting. And Gregg Barnes' costumes are not only gorgeous visually but witty as well."

USA Today - "The creators of Chaperone, in contrast, reveal a snickering self-consciousness that dilutes the sense of joy vital to this kind of tribute. Like that other critically adored escapade Urinetown!, Chaperone offers too much winking and not enough wonder."

Star-Ledger - "Scampering along at an intermission-free 100 minutes, "The Drowsy Chaperone" is not an insider piece of theatrical pastiche. Its valentine to 1920s musical style is sufficiently broad to be easily enjoyed."

"The Drowsy Chaperone" plays an open-ended run at the Marquis Theatre, 1535 Broadway, map, which is also the new temporary location of the Times Square TKTS booth.

May 2, 2006 07:01 AM in Broadway

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