REVIEW: Hills Musical Company's "The Drowsy Chaperone"

In a word: Riotous

If the sound of laughter could be written down-in a more sophisticated way than the adolescent “hahahaha” or “lol”-I’d be using this word now. Hills Musical Company has once again put together an incredibly clever, professional and hilarious production with this musical-within-a-comedy ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ (a title intriguing if nothing else!).

Expertly written for the avid theatregoer and musicals buff, the script is carried out flawlessly-and perfectly hammed up by the cast. Plotline thus: a man in a chair chats excitedly about the conventions of being a bored audience and in order to entertain them, plays a record (yep, a vinyl one) and gives a play-by-play of his favourite 1920s musical called-wait for it-‘The Drowsy Chaperone’. The visualisation comes to life as the play carries out in his kitchen. Between loo breaks and disc scratches and power outages, the story is ingeniously played like a movie that gets paused while we get snippets about the actors and running commentary of the play’s idiosyncracies. I am embarrassed to admit that for a large portion of the show I really believed ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ was a real musical that had been re-interacted for this modern day musical montage.

What really floored me was the set, for which set designer Craig Williams and his team should be immensely proud. Not meant as a comment on the actors or the lighting but the set was the most incredible thing to see, a professional triumph with opening and exits and changes and curtains, and aside from a little trapped fabric, was seamless and superb. Costumes were excellent and suited both character and period (and musical industry) both wonderfully and tastefully so big kudos to Sandra Davis there.  But no-one wants to chat about convertible refrigerators and burnt orange sequins, let’s get onto it.

‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ begins with the ridiculous exploits of Mrs Tottendale (Wendy Rayner) and Underling (Greg Beer), both of whom took a lot of spit from each other-yes I said spit-and provided sweet comic relief…from the rest of the comedy. Brady Lloyd is his puffed-up best as the hapless husband to be (there has got to be helium in that chest of his, and that smile?!) partnering in beautiful tap dance crime with broadway-voiced Lindsay Prodea as the haphazard best man George. Lindsay Dunn and Shelley Crooks charm and set teeth grating with the cheap ironic humour, as they try to avoid bumbling mafia crooks-posing-as-pastry-chefs and all that the puns imply Angus Smith and Beau-Daniel Loumeau. These two are priceless and synced perfectly for my favourite number of the show “Toledo Surprise”-ghosted closesly by “I Do I Do in the Sky”. Thrown in the mix is the molto ridiculoso Aldolpho, the stereotypical ethnic lothario who wasn’t ethnic who delivered my favourite lyric! “I can sing it slowly, but it would take hours!!!”

Hills Musical Company Website

Best Voices go to the bride, played by Fiona DeLaine who gave stunning vocal performances and a spectacular character delivery. Bronwen James was utterly charming as the boozy chaperone of the title who was as delightfully grandiose and vocally ambitious as her alter-ego. Megan Humphries as Trix the Aviatrix (great legs and a voice to match) and Jon DeLaine as the awkward Super made their presence known.

The tricky thing about leaving the best until last is that you are guaranteed to have run out of room and readers don’t always make it to the last paragraph where you say what you really really want to say. Scott Nell. Scott Nell. Scott Nell as Man in Chair was the award-winning performance, bringing to the audience a relatable and hilarious character who had dimension, and regular mannerisms and utterly authentic crazy eyes (and a backstory to match!) Would I give that characterisation an award? Heck yes. Don’t know if I’d leave the Man in Chair with my children though! Director David Sinclair has created the theatrical version of Rodin’s Thinking Man without the thinking, Munch’s The Scream without the fear, Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa without the reserve with that character. Perfect, perfect, perfect. And I’m telling you watching a grown man drink a juice box was the most sinister part of that play.

Truly the show is brilliant, definitely more than worth the gorgeous drive through Adelaide’s Hills to Sterling where there are wonderful restaurants to make it a real event. Be sure to book through BASS, through hillsmusical.org.au or call up. Give yourself a smile Adelaide, or better yet an excuse to pull out your old vinyls!!