The Drowsy Chaperone

From first to last, the SpeakEasy Stage Company's production of "The Drowsy Chaperone" is a delight.

The laughter starts even before the lights come up, as our narrator (Will McGarrahan) gives vent to the things about contemporary theater he can't stand--an extended diatribe that takes in modern inconveniences like telephones (cellular and land-line alike), as well as age-old conundrums (love and marriage among them).

What this curmudgeon does like is a recording--on vinyl, no less--of a 1928 musical called "The Drowsy Chaperone," a gala spectacular featuring an array of fictitious stars of the Jazz Age stage, some of whom became legend and some of whom went on to face grisly fates. (There's a grotesque, but hilarious, being-devoured-by-poodles joke nestled in there, a gag that, like so many of the play's other riffs, emerges from the narrator's free-range storytelling style combined with his general hostility.)

The narrator lives in a dingy apartment that falls away as the play's musical numbers begin. Suddenly, like sunlight streaming through the windows, the scene is transformed: We're in an opulent house, it's 1928, a cornucopia of fabulously costumed characters make their several entrances, and the play unfolds before us, goosed along by the narrator, who pauses the record to share tidbits, observations, and anecdotes. Like it or not, our Luddite theater lover is re-creating for us one of the great innovations of the DVD age: He's providing us with a terrifically entertaining commentary track.

In the style of old musicals, the plot is simple but the complications manifold. There's to be a wedding between oil fortune heir Robert (David Christensen) and star of the stage Janet (McCaela Donovan). The festivities are slated to take place in the grand home of Mrs. Tottendale (Kerry A. Dowling), with the arrangements all taken care of by George the best man (Brian Swasey).

But not everybody is happy for the couple. Janet's producer, Mr. Feldzeig J. T. Tuner), is loathe to lose his leading lady--as are his mob connections, whose interests are represented by a pair of goons-turned-pastry chefs (Ryan Halsaver and Joe Longthorne). If Feldzeig can't prevent the marriage, he's faced with the prospect of a "Toledo surprise" at the hands of the gangsters--or, worse, his dim starlet girlfriend Kitty (Sarah Drake) taking over Janet's role.

Happily, there's a European on hand, Adolpho (Thomas Derrah), to act as seducer and marriage-wrecker. But will Adolpho's charms find their way past Janet's often-drunk chaperone (Karen MacDonald)? Or will the plot go awry?

"Of course things will work out," grouses our narrator. "This is a musical!" Moreover, it's a meta-musical with a sardonic comic punch. The format allows for politically incorrect jokes that can be both relished and deplored, and a complex interplay of light comic fantasy and darker existential musings. If nothing else, this fond look back at the entertainment of another age is a tonic for the souls among us who are discontented with these modern times.

It's also a dazzling compendium of theatrical talent. The cast, which boasts several of Boston's favorite actors, bursts with skill--everything from singing to tap-dancing to top-flight comic timing is done with perfection.

The show's crew are just as skilled and just as inspired. Costumer Seth Bodie provides gorgeous garb and colorful raiments that see the women in the cast clad in period gowns and the men in elegant (if sometimes candy-colored) suits. Jenna McFarland Lord's scenic design captures the grim realism of a run-down apartment as well as the bright, somewhat vague, fantasy of a grand manor, and manages to combine the two in clever ways. Karen Perlow's lighting design generates an air of glamor (and knows how to contrast this with periods of darkness called for by the script). Nicholas James Connell's musical direction is well served by sound designer Aaron Mack.

David Connolly pulls the show together with polish and style, not only directing but also choreographing, and making "The Drowsy Chaperone" more an homage than a takeoff. As the show's narrator tells us, a night at the theater should be something grand and fun: Connolly and his cast and crew illustrate the point very nicely.

The level of expertise we're treated to here is not just the frosting on the cake: This production is such a sweet, lively confection that it's impossible not to love every minute.