The Drowsy Chaperone Opens in Houston... A Lot of Fun, A Real Hoot
The Broadway musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, opened at the Hobby Center in Houston tonight. I did not know what I could expect to see as the house went dark. The voice of the disshevelled narrator came out of the darkness and thus began a really lovely evening of muscial silliness and entertainment.
Set in the Roaring 20's, the story of the the wedding that was on, then off, then on again, was silly, predictable, cliched, and wonderful. It was full of merriment and filled with a lot of memorable characters who were improbable and hugely larger than life. And to boot, to a person, every one in the cast sold their character and their song and dance, giving 200% oin the effort. I laughed... I laughed alot and loudly because sometimes, if you push the silliness to a huge extreme, it becomes delicious and simply delectable. I did not have to figure out if this was comedy or tragedy or a hybrid of the two. It was comedy and something entirely welcome after a long and busy day.
These are times when performers who attempt to be funny think they have to be crass, talk dirty or focus on sex. But four letter words in and of themselves don't add much to the mix. Neither does dwelling yet one more time on the upside or the downside of sexual relations which, after awhile ceases to be funny in most contexts.
Drowsy Chaperone has some wonderfully funny lines and situations... and people from scenes grabbed from real life...like the really self-absorbed performer declaring to the world, on the eve of her wedding to Mr Right, that she doesn't want to show off... that is be at the center of attention any more. During her musical declaration, between laughs, you say, "Yeah. Right!" Her song and dance... is a certifiable hoot.
From the beginning to the end, I laughed and I had a great time. This show is what the Broadway musical is all about. There are many styles of Broadway shows. The substance of this show is just pure froth... the kind that one enjoys completely. And having a good time and being completely entertained for a couple of hours... that is what it is all about.
Set in the Roaring 20's, the story of the the wedding that was on, then off, then on again, was silly, predictable, cliched, and wonderful. It was full of merriment and filled with a lot of memorable characters who were improbable and hugely larger than life. And to boot, to a person, every one in the cast sold their character and their song and dance, giving 200% oin the effort. I laughed... I laughed alot and loudly because sometimes, if you push the silliness to a huge extreme, it becomes delicious and simply delectable. I did not have to figure out if this was comedy or tragedy or a hybrid of the two. It was comedy and something entirely welcome after a long and busy day.
These are times when performers who attempt to be funny think they have to be crass, talk dirty or focus on sex. But four letter words in and of themselves don't add much to the mix. Neither does dwelling yet one more time on the upside or the downside of sexual relations which, after awhile ceases to be funny in most contexts.
Drowsy Chaperone has some wonderfully funny lines and situations... and people from scenes grabbed from real life...like the really self-absorbed performer declaring to the world, on the eve of her wedding to Mr Right, that she doesn't want to show off... that is be at the center of attention any more. During her musical declaration, between laughs, you say, "Yeah. Right!" Her song and dance... is a certifiable hoot.
From the beginning to the end, I laughed and I had a great time. This show is what the Broadway musical is all about. There are many styles of Broadway shows. The substance of this show is just pure froth... the kind that one enjoys completely. And having a good time and being completely entertained for a couple of hours... that is what it is all about.
posted by hfireman | 10:49 PM
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