Whitworth University’s 2014 musical production of The Drowsy Chaperone, directed by Brooke Keiner, had its opening night October 10th. This musical pokes fun at musicals and their cheery often times ridiculous antics. With a narrator, the man in the chair, sharing in the audiences experience with the characters and events in the show, the audience felt like they were guests in the man’s home while he talked about his favorite musical. Artistically the set was quite elaborate, and the musical characters coexisted with the man in the chair’s home. This show definitely broke the fourth wall because the man in the chair talks to the audience the entire time.
The Drowsy Chaperone, centers round “the man in chair” and his favorite musical. The musical is about this famous performer Janet and her engagement to Robert. Janet is conflicted with whether she should marry Robert or stay on the stage instead. In preparation for the wedding Janet is babysat by the intoxicated “Drowsy,” who later elopes with Aldofo, who is a European playboy. 2 more weddings also ensue later in the show, and if the show didn’t should farcical enough, the playwrights also added Mr. Feldzeig, who is a big time producer that wants nothing more for Janet to stay single and on the stage, and of course the show has a couple of gangsters that are cleverly disguised as bakers. The Drowsy Chaperone was filled with fun characters and dances, and the comedic value of the show was rich and had the audience laughing the whole time.
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ReplyDeleteI've only seen three Whitworth plays but I felt this was the best one! The combination of a well-written play and talented cast made for a highly enjoyable night. The play is definitely unique in its structure, as you pointed it, making me wonder how the play's impact and enjoyment would have been affected if certain elements were changed. If the narrator wasn't present, would the satire be stronger or weaker because it would be more subtle? If the performance wasn't by our peers, would it be less funny (because part of the humor is watching our friends say these ridiculous lines) or more funny (because we may be more transported into that comical world)? If we were watching the play on Netflix, would that make it more enjoyable (being able to see facial expressions and be the only person in the audience) or less enjoyable (removing the magic of watching it live)? This play, maybe more so than other plays at Whitworth, seems to be one where the aspects of its delivery are very integral to the experience. Anyone else have any thoughts?
ReplyDeleteI went to this play/musical as well and I thought it was hilarious. Everyone did such a great job and performed their characters perfectly. Upon entering, I knew nothing about the play at all. At first I was confused and slightly alarmed at the way it started off; but once I caught on to what was happening, it made perfect sense. The narrator did a great job, never once did I question his role. My favorite part of the play was when the narrator placed the wrong record onto the record player and an entirely different musical began on stage. The scene was cut short when he realized his mistake and changed the record back to the original, intended record. It was little snippets like this that made the play so hilarious and also relatable. The satire was obvious yet not predictable. I definitely think that experiencing this musical live was integral to the experience. Especially since the narrator invites the viewers to come into his living room and engage in conversation with him, it would seem necessary that there be a live audience present for him to converse with.
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