By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
When you go to see a play, there’s a moment that you spend sitting in utter darkness; it’s those few seconds that come after the house lights go out and before the curtain opens, cuing the stage lights to come on. During those fleeting moments, what are you thinking about?
In Westwood High School’s performance of “The Drowsy Chaperone,” senior Michael Lahiff’s character spends that time praying. He prays for a short show whose songs will take him away and entertain him.
When he places a record of the 1928 recording of Gable and Stein’s “The Drowsy Chaperone” on the turntable, Lahiff’s character, known simply as “Man in Chair,” breaks the fourth wall to embark on a journey with the audience into the world of 1920’s New York.
The play, dubbed “a musical within a comedy,” highlights the diversity of talents within Westwood’s performing arts department. Featuring a variety of accents, splits and cartwheels, and melodious vocals, the cast kept the audience entertained as they told the story of Robert Martin (played by Enahm Oscar-Phoenix) and Janet Van De Graaff’s (Erin Fitzgerald) wedding day.
Disguised as bakers, two gangsters (Sydney Jud and Bella Conary) approach Broadway producer Feldzieg (Oscary Soucy) to convince him to break off Janet’s wedding, as their boss has invested in an upcoming show. Without Janet, a Broadway star who plans to trade in her career for her marriage, the show will be unsuccessful.
Through a series of pastry puns and metaphors, the gangsters threaten to maim Feldzieg if he does not comply. So, the producer enlists the self-proclaimed Latin “king of romance,” Aldolpho (Jack Stebbins), to seduce Janet and sabotage her relationship with Robert, much to rising star Kitty’s (Sarah Wasserman) delight.
However, when Aldolpo mistakes Janet’s alcoholic chaperone (Chloe Goodman) for the woman he is to woo, the audience can’t help but laugh at the chaos on stage.
With all of the ups and downs the characters go through, and the enjoyable commentary throughout the show from the “Man in Chair,” the audience feels a connection to the characters, while appreciating the beautifully designed set pieces and perfectly chosen props.
A happy ending thanks to the Trix, the aviatrix (Ayesha Tariq), ties the story together for a heartfelt and feel-good musical that leaves that audience satisfied and the cast and crew of the production proud.
Westwood’s performing arts department’s productions are certainly not ones to be missed.
