by Barry Willis *
A hardcore theater fan treats the audience to a fantastical retelling of his favorite early-20th century musical in The Drowsy Chaperone, now running in Napa at the Lucky Penny Community Arts Center through June 14.
DC Scarpelli stars as the narrator (“Man in Chair”) who describes every aspect of a cast album of the eponymous show. As he does so, scenes and characters burst to life in the most absurd imaginable ways, including, as Lucky Penny’s publicity puts it: “ . . . lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a not-so-bright hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan and an intoxicated chaperone – all the ingredients for a loving send-up of the Golden Age musical.”
A multiple Tony Award winner during its Broadway run twenty years ago, The Drowsy Chaperone is a recurring favorite among regional theater companies, for good reasons. It’s upbeat, engaging, and wildly entertaining.
Directed by former Bay Area stalwart and now NYC habitué Daren A.C. Corollo, this production is especially uninhibited and dynamic, propelled by a great band led by Craig Burdette and choreographed by Alex Gomez. Barbara McFadden’s costume design is delightfully whimsical, especially the ensemble in the dancing monkeys scene.
Scarpelli is brilliant as the obsessed fan who makes it all happen on Lucky Penny’s compact stage. He’s surrounded by a slew of talent, such as Sarah Lundstrom and Faustino Cadiz III as the pastry-chef mobsters; Leslie Sexton as socialite Mrs. Tottendale; Peter Budinger as the valet Underling; Melissa Momboisse as stage star Janet Van De Graaff; Jenny Veilleux as ditsy aspiring starlet Kitty; Barry Martin as impresario Mr. Feldzeig; Alex Gomez as over-the-top Latin lover Aldolpho; Kade Morrill as Trix, a high-flying aviatrix; and Taylor Bartolucci as the completely plastered Drowsy Chaperone. Her solo piece “As We Stumble Along” is a stunner. Max Geide is hilarious as Robert, the “accident waiting to happen.”
You’ve never seen a cast recording deconstructed as beautifully or with so much joy as you will at Lucky Penny. The Drowsy Chaperone is a wonderful way to kick off the summer.
Playing through June 14 at the Lucky Penny Community Arts Center, 1758 Industrial Way, Napa.
Info and tickets at www.luckypennynapa.com
Photos by Kurt Gonsalves/KMG Design
Barry Willis is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association and president of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle. Contact: barry.m.willis@gmail.com
North Bay Stage and Screen 