The Drowsy Chaperone at HCTO

Last night I saw another production of The Drowsy Chaperone (go here for my review of the Empress Theatre's production) at HCTO.  This show has become one of my favorites because, as a fan of musical theatre, I love the message about its power to transport you away from the real world and all of your problems to a place where happy endings are possible for a few hours.  Man in Chair (Daniel Fenton Anderson) is feeling a bit blue so he decides to listen to his cast recording of The Drowsy Chaperone, a popular musical from 1928 which features mix-ups, mayhem, and a gay wedding (which, he explains, had a different meaning back then).  As he listens to the record, the actors appear in his apartment and bring the show to life with frequent pauses, during which the actors freeze, for his wry commentaries on the musical theatre tropes found therein.  Mrs. Tottendale (Liz Whittaker) and her Underling (Dayne Joyner) are hosting the wedding of wealthy oil tycoon Robert Martin (Preston Taylor) and Broadway star Janet Van De Graff (Brittany Sanders) who is giving up her glamorous career to marry a man she barely knows.  Robert is leaving the wedding details to George (Josh Valdez), his best friend and best man, while Janet's Chaperone (Amelia Rose Moore), who gets drowsy when she drinks champagne, is charged with keeping the couple apart to prevent bad luck.  Broadway producer Feldzieg (Benjamin J. Henderson) is unhappy about losing his biggest star and sets out to stop the wedding by convincing a Latin lover named Aldolpho (Jacob Thomason) to seduce the bride.  An investor in the Feldzieg Follies is also worried about losing its biggest star and hires two gangsters (Preston Harmon and Ethan Freestone), disguised as pastry chefs, to stop the wedding but a ditzy chorus girl named Kitty (Amanda Baugh) is hoping to take Janet's place.  Mayhem ensues but a happy ending comes when Trix the Aviatrix (Aria Love Jackson) marries four couples on her plane while flying to Rio.  Man in Chair puts the wrong record on at the beginning of Act 2, because the woman who cleans for him puts his records back in the wrong sleeve, and the cast, as completely different characters, perform "Message From a Nightingale" from a different musical until he realizes his mistake.  This production is extremely well done and I laughed and laughed through the whole thing.  The cast is incredibly strong but my favorites were Moore and Thomason because they are completely over the top in "As We Stumble Along" and "Aldolpho," respectively.  I also really enjoyed Anderson because he interacts with the cast more than I have ever seen before and I especially loved it when he does a soft shoe routine along with the tap dancing Taylor and Valdez during "Cold Feets" and when he steadies the blindfolded and rollerskating Taylor during "Accident Waiting to Happen."  The choreography is fantastic (I am always so impressed with how effectively the small space is utilized at HCTO) and I particularly enjoyed "Show Off" (the quick wardrobe changes are a lot of fun), "Toledo Surprise" (I loved it when the record gets a scratch and the cast performs the same steps over and over), and "Bride's Lament" (the monkeys!).  The 1920s costumes are fabulous (I especially loved all of the feathers used on the Chaperone's costumes) and the set of Man in Chair's apartment is very effective because the cast enters through a large armoire.  This show makes me so happy (for a few hours, at least) and I loved what HCTO did with it!  I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here).