Dallas Review: “The Drowsy Chaperone” at Firehouse Theatre
Shawn Stalter, Chief Dallas/Ft. Worth Critic
Firehouse Theatre once again turned up the heat on the DFW theatre scene and helped melt away the chilly winter blues with a fiery-hot production of “The Drowsy Chaperone.” Under the direction of Derek Whitener, the cast and crew delivered an exuberant show full of high-energy song and dance numbers backed by charming comedic interludes.
Written by the duo of Bob Martin and Don McKellar, and with music and lyrics courtesy of Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, “The Drowsy Chaperone” offers a lively, satire-filled homage to 1920’s-era musical comedy stereotypes. Told through the lens of middle-aged musical aficionado and vinyl enthusiast, “Man in Chair,” the show strolls down memory lane to relive the fictitious 1928 musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone.”
Here, we meet a menagerie of interesting characters, including two young lovers on their wedding day, an absent-minded best man, a struggling theatre producer, his forgetful hostess, gangsters posing as pastry chefs, and, of course, a “drowsy chaperone,” among others. Why is the chaperone so fatigued, you ask? Well, it has nothing to do with an untreated case of narcolepsy. Here, drowsy is just a polite way of saying she’s often “three sheets to the wind” and unfit to serve as a suitable chaperone.
Last performed at the Firehouse Theatre in 2015, “The Drowsy Chaperone” was a huge crowd-pleaser. It was brought back this year, not just due to the roaring 20’s connection, but also to help the theatre celebrate its fifth anniversary. Based on the robust performance on display with the 2020 production, this looks to be a wise choice. Director Derek Whitener used every second of the show wisely, and he patiently built a dynamic and deliciously-immersive world springing from the mind of the “Man in the Chair,” played by Lon Barrera. Mr. Barrera’s inspired performance in this role is a true highlight of the show. His character’s deep and infectious love for musicals shines bright, but is also interspersed with glimpses of “Man in Chair’s” intriguing back story.
Janelle Lutz returned from New York to reprise her starring role from the 2015 production as, “Janet Van De Graaff.” Her enthusiasm for the role translated beautifully well to the audience and was spot-on for her performance of one of her character’s signature numbers, “Show Off.”
Elisa Danielle James’s performance as the “Drowsy Chaperone” was not soporific in any way. In fact, she gave one of the most memorable performances of the evening in a production bursting at the seams with talent. Her powerful voice meshed seamlessly with hilarious body language and physical antics during “As We Stumble Along.”
As the dynamic duo of “Tall Brothers,” Clint Gilbert and Tim Brawner’s performances were a huge hit with the audience. As stereotypical 20’s gangsters clad in pastry chef “disguises,” they did a fantastic job playing off of each other’s antics and delivering a seemingly never-ending stream of pastry-related puns.
Beyond great performances from each member of the cast, this production capitalized on well-rounded choreography courtesy of Mindy Neuendorff as well as pitch-perfect music direction from Bethany Lorentzen. Additionally, costuming by Victor Newman Brockwell was fun and appropriate to the period, but also threw in some hilarious surprises along the way.
Last but not least, a big shout out to the ensemble members of this talented cast. Rarely do you see as engaged and dynamic of an ensemble as this production procured. Their collective contributions to the show built an immersive world, sweeping the audience away on the wings of each great song and dance number. This is a production that deserves DFW theater fans’ undivided attention.
“THE DROWSY CHAPERONE”
“The Drowsy Chaperone,” directed by Derek Whitener runs through February 23rd, 2020 and stars Lon Barrera as “Man in Chair,” Christia Caudle as “Mrs. Tottendale,” Doug Fowler as “Underling,” TJ Adams as “Robert Martin,” Preston Isham as “George,” Dan Servetnick as “Mr. Feldseig,” Hilary Evitt Allen as “Kitty,” Tim Brawner as “Tall Brother #1,” Clint Gilbert as “Tall Brother #2,” Hunter Lewis as “Aldolfo,” Janelle Lutz as “Janet Van De Graaff,” Elisa Danielle James as “The Chaperone,” Christian Houston as “Trix.” Ensemble members include Christina Hoth, Marilyn Setu, Carissa Aguila, Rebecca Luby, Caitlin Jones, Taylor Owen, Gabriel Ethridge, Blake Seabourn, Jacob Rivera-Sanchez, and Gideon Ethridge.
Snag a ticket for this outstanding show by calling the Firehouse Theatre Box Office (972-620-3747) or visit them online at www.thefirehousetheatre.com.
Photo credit: Jason Anderson, Pendleton Photography