The Hopeful Theatre Project Presents The Drowsy Chaperone
The Drowsy Chaperone
Directed by Jessica Cope
Music Direction by Ian Mead Moore
My thoughts on The Drowsy Chaperone or…go to the head of the class
The Hopeful Theatre Project presents
The Drowsy Chaperone
Music and Lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
Book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar
Directed by Jessica Cope
Music Directed by Ian Mead Moore
Choreographed by Alvaro Carranza
Forgive me if I indulge in a teacher fantasy to introduce The Drowsy Chaperone. It’s the second day of school and you don’t really know any of your students yet. To your amazement, you find that everyone in your class did their homework, and beyond that, they all made an A+ on the pop quiz. Going to this Drowsy Chaperone, I felt like the teacher in the fantasy. I didn’t know what to expect and was a tad bit skeptical, but this “class” showed up ready to wow and impress.
The plot of this Tony nominated musical (It lost to Jersey Boys) is well known by now. A character simply named Man in Chair is feeling a bit blue and puts on the cast album of his favorite musical from the 1920’s The Drowsy Chaperone, and the characters come to life as he describes each song, star, and setting in this tale of “mix ups, mayhem, and a gay wedding.”
The Drowsy Chaperone is a labor of love from Director Cope, who also designed the costumes. Cope is a relentless warrior for mental health and all the ticket proceeds from this production go to the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Tarrant County. Everyone involved in this production volunteered their time and talent.
And there is copious talent behind the scenes and on display in this production. Director Cope has the comic timing perfected, and the entire company comes across as experienced vaudevillians in this corny, clever, endearing musical. Cope’s costumes are also witty and character defining. Music Director Ian Mead Moore has the cast in top notch form vocally and all the cues were spot on. Choreographer Alvaro Carranza has fashioned some fine and humorous dance moves, most especially in the tap number “Cold Feets” and the big ensemble songs. Conor Clark’s set is necessarily simple in this black box venue but provides the actors with everything they need as do Sienna Abbott’s props. Branson White’s lighting was somewhat limited by the constraints of the black box theater but kept the characters in focus and his sound design was without a flaw.
The passion the cast has for the production is apparent from the first note to the last. Most of the cast is divided into comic pairs who play off each other like they have been performing together for years. The gangsters disguised as pastry chefs are Noa Sorrell and Rachel Harmon. These two are always in perfect harmony and never miss a chance to make a pastry pun. They also serve as the antagonists to Mr. Feldzieg the Broadway producer played to the classic comedian max by Jacob Fisher. Feldzieg is paired with Kitty, a chorine who longs for stardom, played by Danielle Smith. Smith makes Kitty adorably airheaded and her scenes with Feldzeig are some of funniest in the show. Jill Baker is the forgetfully engaging Mrs. Tottendale, the hostess of the estate where the proceedings take place. Mrs. Tottendale is paired with her butler and constant companion known as Underling. Bill Lewis as Underling is the straight-faced butler who manages to never crack a smile at Mrs. Tottendale’s nonsense. Baker and Lewis truly evoke the great comedians of the vaudeville stage. Felipe Trejo is Aldolpho, the classic Latin lover of the silent screen. Trejo’s Aldolpho is egocentrically comical as he boasts of his lovemaking skills and seduces the drowsy chaperone herself played by the marvelous Kristina Bain. Bain, slinky in black and feathers, brings the always inebriated chaperone a fetching quality that fills the stage and her anthem “As We Stumble Along” is the song you will be humming as you leave the theater. Dakota James is the bridegroom, Robert Martin. James has charm to spare as the often befuddled, soon to be married Robert. James has a terrific singing voice and knows his way around a dance floor whether in tap shoes or on roller skates. Delaney Gebhart is the delightfully vain but vulnerable stage star and bride to be, Janet Van De Graaff. Gebhart has enormous appeal as Janet. She is alternately coy and commanding and dances and sings with the assurance of the star she is portraying. Chase Shaw, with an infectious smile, brings an energetic, agile, and athletic appeal to Robert’s best man George. My only complaint about the outstanding, gloriously voiced Jazzay Jabbar as Trix the Aviatrix is I wanted to see much more of her. The character of Trix bookends the show. We get a glimpse of her at the beginning and a bit more at the end. Jabbar is a leading player whose time will come. The talented ensemble of singers and dancers who provide excellent support includes Cassidy Moore, Hal Boswell, Chloe Munson, and Emma Sucato.
But what about our host for the evening, the ever-present Man in Chair? In talking to Director Cope about the production, she told me she wanted to bring a millennial, updated approach to the show. She certainly chose the right actor to deliver that quality to The Drowsy Chaperone. Christian Black is probably twenty years younger than the actors who are usually cast as Man in Chair, but the change works wonderfully well here thanks to Black’s prodigious skills. Black, not only brings a youthful exuberance to the part, but also a carefully nuanced performance as we observe him go from mild depression to complete elation as he tells the story. Black is a joy to watch and one of those actors who appear to be saying the words as they occur to him and not from a memorized script. In addition to his tremendous stage charisma, Black also has a superb singing voice. This is the perfect combination of actor and role.
The Hopeful Theatre Project has a winner with their first licensed musical. The Drowsy Chaperone is grand amusement that is a guaranteed cure for the blues. Oh… and cast and crew you don’t have to be afraid to show your parents your report card. You got straight As.
