THE TONY award-winning musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, has scored a bumper sellout success for Brentwood Operatic Society.
Despite a stellar cast including musicals legend Elaine Paige, the West End production was terminated just two months into its run back in 2007.
But the hilarious "show-within-a-show" tale of an agoraphobic theatre buff, named simply Man In Chair, watching on as his apartment is transformed into scenes from his favourite 1928 musical after putting the LP on, went down a storm for the 108-year-old society at Brentwood Theatre last week.
A review of the show penned by the National Operatic and Dramatic Association's, Eastern Region representative, Tessa Davies, was glowing.
It read: "Once again Brentwood Operatic gave us an excellent evening's entertainment and I look forward to seeing this show performed more often."
She added: "Director Jacob Allan has made his directing debut with an excellent production, and he made the very best use of the limited opportunities in this venue. The band, under the direction of MD Jonathan Sands, produced an excellent sound with just the right balance.
"The Brentwood Theatre provides this intimacy and the company performs extremely well in such surroundings.
"The cast all gave superb performances and I am hard-pressed to pick out just a few as they all deserve a mention.
"Ian Southgate's performance as the Man in the Chair was a beautiful interpretation of a repressed, closet fan of musical theatre."
Also getting favourable reviews were Nina Jarram in the title role, Juliet Thomas as Janet Van De Graff, and her betrothed Robert Martin, confidently portrayed by Samuel Cousins.
Chairwoman of Brentwood Operatic Society Jean Wilson, who is the mother of Hollywood actor Stephen Moyer, is delighted with the success of the show.
She said: "It was such a great show, a virtual sellout, and you could say we were taking a risk putting this on, because it is not that well-known. But it is one that certainly paid off."
