A Musical About Musicals: The Drowsy Chaperone
MTSoc’s most recent show was a bombastic rendition of The Drowsy Chaperone, a musical about a musical. Directed by Jay Etim (and co-directed by Atom Lucenet), the show was a very tasteful ode to a by-gone era of musical theatre. It was overflowing with charm, and had a clear vision for what the tone it was trying to achieve. Safe to say it was successful.
The star of the show was the “Man in Chair” (Timothy Spawforth), a wistful, solitary, middle-aged man guiding us through his favourite musical on an evening in his apartment when he’s feeling blue. Timothy brought a sombre, reserved twist to the character, which differed from most adaptations. This was a really great acting touch that made the whole show feel more grounded and personal. Not to say he didn’t seem happy when watching the show. He stole the show with his wry commentary and incredibly convincing compulsions to comment on every little detail in the show; occasionally gleefully inserting himself into the show. Perched in the corner on his armchair, Timothy bobbed along to every number and mouthed every major line-read. He was as much with us in the audience as he was an actor on the stage. This manifested literally, with the charming directorial decision to begin the show with Timothy sat in the crowd, beginning his opening monologue with the oh-so-obvious lie “I hate theatre.” Nothing could be far from the truth. A permeating element of the show was how clear it was how much everyone involved really does love musical theatre.
The Drowsy Chaperone (the show-within-a-show, that is) is a lavishly self-indulgent parody of the sorts of musicals the twenties gave birth to. It was full to brim with tropes and clichés and of-the-time humour, and the whole cast was clearly having a grand old time with it. Most importantly, they never played it as a joke or acted like they were above it. All the performances were delivered with sincerity and love for the history of the stage, which is important for a show about the wonderful power of musicals to transport you away. If there had been even a small amount of lampshading or tongue-in-cheek commentary, it would have played as cruel or against the spirit of the show. Thankfully, this was not the case. The ensemble of dancers went all out in flapper glory, and I can’t begin to describe the smile that formed on my face when I realised a couple of the actors had changed into tap shoes between scenes. There was also a love shown for (relatively) more recent theatre too, with the second act opening with a very fun rendition of All That Jazz from Chicago – a legally dubious but incredibly appreciated alteration of The Drowsy Chaperone’s original script.
The musical demands a little more from the cast performance than most other stage shows, as each actor is effectively playing two different characters – the actor and the character the actor is playing. A notable example of this was the rivalry between the up-and-coming actress playing Janet (Ishita Anand) and the already-established star playing the chaperone (Anoä-Kanelle Calpas). The pair clashed often as Ishita’s radiant charisma was frequently overpowered by Anoä-Kanelle’s completely dominating stage presence. Another really impressive performance was Hannah Kagimoto, the actress playing Kitty. It was incredibly easy to fall in love with her ditzy persona, and her comedic timing was always brilliant. Other stand-outs from the cast include the audacious Aldolpho (Miguel Galindo Jimenez) and George (Giulio Bassanino), whose frantic Scooter-esque running around was a delight to watch.
A feature I took extra notice of was the attention to detail in the lighting of the show. Particularly, the way the stage lights state was co-ordinated with what was happening to the disc that the Man was playing. When the disc was paused - or the focus was on the Man for some other reason – the stage lights dimmed and a spotlight was used to centre focus toward our narrator. Also, MTSoc were able to make use of a large new lighting rig running vertically next to the stage, really elevating the musical numbers.
The numbers themselves were very impressive. I’ve been informed that on the night I went, the band was a running a little thin and weren’t at their full capacity. But, honestly? I didn’t notice. The occasional false start was quickly forgiven by the all-out performance they gave when they really got going. A personal favourite was the shift into Latin music for Aldolpho’s titular number – a really great test of strength that allowed the band to show off their variety. What absolutely blew me away was some of the vocal talent on display, with the aforementioned Ishita and Anoä-Kanelle really flexing their singing ability during their solo numbers. They both have such powerful voices that make you forget about anything else in the room. The same could be said for Cecilia Longoni (Mrs. Tottendale), who shared the stage in one of the second act’s songs, which really let her shine.
I really do love theatre, and this show was filled with that same love. A well-staged rendition that was such a great audience experience, all tied together by our excellent leading man. MTSoc will continue to be one of the most fun societies at Imperial, and I will continue to go to whatever shows they put on, and I recommend you do too.
