Fringe Review: The Drowsy Chaperone

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Two hours of rich entertainment


The  Drowsy Chaperone, Greenside at Nicholson Square, until August 24.

The Drowsy Chaperone is a show within a show - a musical wrapped in a comedy.

This version of the Broadway shows effortlessly spans its two hours and is richly entertaining.

Produced under the Kingdom Theatre banner, it features a huge cast with live band, and is well worth catching before the end of the 2019 Fringe.

Set in the roaring 20s, it is narrated by the man in the chair as he savours the joy and memories of his favourite musical, the fictional Drowsy Chaperone - bringing it to life, pausing the action to add his own commentary, and  occasionally getting wrapped up in the songs and the spectacle.

Derek Ward was perfect in the role  as he contrasted the humdrum of reality with the magic of a musical. Everything, he mused, turns out right in a musical. Of course it does...

 In front of, and around him, a cast of around a dozen plus an ensemble filled the stage made this a sparkling production - Stephen Smyth's lothario Adolpho was a a hoot, and gangsters/chefs Laurence Aitken and Iain Hughes both stood out.

 A gem of a show  at the Greenside venue.

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