“The Drowsy Chaperone” director John Corl, with assistant director Marcy Repp, gets splendid performances from the cast. The Man In Chair will floor you with laughter. That many of his observations have nothing to do with the musical makes the show even funnier. The interjections of Man In Chair are not distracting. He shares his enthusiasm in direct address to the audience, often stopping the show, interrupting the actors, mid-song, mid-dance and mid-sentence. The record album’s cast comes to life around Man in Chair, singing and dancing and dialoguing and cavorting. He has played a copy of the cast recording over and over on the turntable in his apartment. More specifically, he really likes one musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone” (a fictional 1928 musical). In “The Drowsy Chaperone,” Man In Chair is a theater buff. The musical comedy parody, opening in 2006 on Broadway, was nominated for 13 Tony Awards, winning five Tonys, including Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical. Music and lyrics are by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison with book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar. This is a very smart play with a very smart cast in a very smart production. I left the theater thinking that this is just the entertainment tonic for the beleaguered times we live in. I was laughing from the opening moment to the curtain call. I can’t remember when I have laughed so much during an area stage production. The June 4 performance was seen for this review. Man In Chair (Brian Houp) is at the center of the “The Drowsy Chaperone,” through June 18 at The Pennsylvania Playhouse, Bethlehem. However, “Man In Chair” would not have made a better title. There’s nothing drowsy about this musical comedy. “The Drowsy Chaperone” has a somewhat misleading title.
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