Score: Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison;. Book: Bob Martin and Don McKellar. At: Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Lincolnshire. Phone: 847-634-0200; $45. Runs through: June 27
There's no denying the brainlessness of most Broadway musicals from the 1920s ( excepting the groundbreaking Show Boat, of course ) . Few shows from that era get revived with any kind of frequency, except perhaps No, No, Nannette or Oh, Kay! ( but even these shows' books have been doctored for modern tastes ) .
Yet the hit 2006 Broadway show The Drowsy Chaperone turns the liabilities of 1920s musicals into winning golden assets. Playwrights Bob Martin and Don McKellar cleverly layer on a running commentary and arch annotation that is both scathing and sentimental toward the fictional "classic" wedding musical The Drowsy Chaperone.
It's the unnamed and very fey "Man in Chair" ( a more mature take on the role by James Harms ) who does the hilarious dishing while playing the show's 1928 original cast recording by the composing team of Gable and Stein ( actually a gloriously pastiche 1920s score by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison ) . And as the show comes vividly to life in the Man's dingy living room, both his spirits ( and audience's ) are lifted exponentially in the Marriott Theatre's sparkling production.
With The Drowsy Chaperone, director/choreographer Marc Robin shows once again why he is the master of re-conceiving proscenium shows into the Marriott's challenging theater-in-the-round space. So what if Robin drags out the show by shoehorning in an intermission and aggrandizing the tap dance sequences? Musical comedy fans will be in heaven by all the dancing dexterity of Tyler Hanes as the groom Robert Martin and Andrew Lupp as his best man.
As the Broadway star Janet Van de Graph, Tari Kelly might divide some people ( especially those who have scrupulously memorized Sutton Foster's performance in The Drowsy Chaperone's 2006 Tony Awards clip repeatedly played at the bar Sidetrack ) . Kelly brings to mind a Carol Burnett-type spoofing a gorgeous leading lady instead of embodying one, no matter how talented she may be going en pointe and skillfully switching between her belting and soprano head voice in the song Show Off.
Linda Balgord brings a welcome drunken wooziness ( sometimes reminiscent of Liza Minnelli ) to the title character, while Adam Pelty indulges in some hilarious Latin lothario stereotypes as Adolpho ( just watch how he handles his straying lock of white hair ) .
Other top-notch elements of the show include the gorgeous production values and the rest of the cast who are all comical and vocal powerhouses ( special mention for the acrobatics of real-life brothers Adrian and Alexander Aguilar as the show-biz struck gangsters ) .
But most importantly, the Marriott's Drowsy Chaperone confirms the show's message of how uplifting musical theater can be for those are feeling down in the dumps. This truly is a show to turn any frown upside down.