Bob Martin: The Man in the Chair Speaks by Sandra Kreis Bob Martin’s never been to sunny Southern California “The droll Canadian always considered himself too pale But as actor/co-author ofthe Broadway-bound ‘The Drowsy Chaperone, he realizes now isthe hour. Martin is one-fourth of the comic collective respons: ble for this show that is premiering on the West Coast atthe Ahmanson Theatre in November, along with colibrettist Don McKellar, lyricist Lisa Lambert and composer Greg Morrison. All are 42, Toronto Second City slams and devotees of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire films. So creating this homage — not parody, Martin insists —to the fluffy musicals of yesteryear seemed a natural for this group. And they di itin their own style, with their own sense of humor inside a unique framework. PERFORMANCES HGKIME The cis of The ray Chaperone ‘The show within a show opens with a narrator called Man in Chair, played by Martin, as he welcomes the audience into his home. Placing a recording of the classic (fictional) musical The Drowsy Chaperone on his hi-fi, he invites the audience to thrill with him to this golden oldie as it comes to life on stage. But along the way he can't help but divulge some down and ditty secrets about each of the cast members as well as occasionally pointing out the flaws in the musical, At one point, he even beseeches the audience to ignore the lyrics of a song, difficult though it may be to block them out and just concentrate on the music ‘The plot concerns a Broadway starlet who is about to get married much to the chagrin, make that panie of her producer who plans drastic steps to see it doesn't happen. Neen eee ennNo overnight sensation by any means, the journey of The Drowsy ‘Chaperone tells a story in itself. ‘When Martin and his fiancé fellow Second City cohort Janet Van de Graaff, were about to get marr McKellar, Lambert and Morsison decided to throw them a stag party “No strippers. Nothing that will embarrass me," was Martin's immediate response. But his pals proved to be much more creative putting on an evening of several songs that proved to be the kernel of what is now the The Drowsy Chaperone, ‘Once Martin got over the surprise, they all agreed there was something special about the songs and decided to pursue the idea further. “That was seven years ago,” says Martin. “So the show isthe exact age of our of marriage. tn fact, we just celebrated our anniversary.” What followed was a blueprint for success with every step turning cout tobe right on the money beginning with a terrific response atthe Toronto Fringe Festival in 1999 which included a rave review fom New York Variety. “Itwas abit ofa sensation,” says Martin, “People were actually scalping tickets, “And honest to god —and nobody believes me — but when I vas sitting inthe dark waiting to begin the show, !had no idea how it would go over. Itwas like we created this group of people and we did it without a target audience or anything, We just said what we wanted to say. And that was a lesson for me asa writer, to write what you nov” Buoyed by its Fringe Festival success, the musical was slightly lengthened and quickly remounted at Theatre Passé Murielle, an off- Broadvay style venue in Toronto, By 2001, after an extensive rewrite and with Mirvish Productions in its camp, the show received a full staging at Toronto's Winter Garden “Theatre, which brought anger audi- ‘ences and critical Canadian acclaim ‘The next major step came in 2003 when the show was selected to be part ofthe following, year's National Alliance For Musical Theatre's 16th ‘Annual Festival of New Musicals in New York. The staged reading format allowed for a 45-minute performance in front of NAMT members. “I remember we ran overtime because there were so many laughs,” says Martin, “and the crowd booed when the management cut us off even though we had 10 or 15 minutes of the show left. But they had to clear us off. So, what can I say? Again, we ‘were happy with the response Laughs will do that.” ‘And those laughs brought The Drowsy Chaperone to Los Angeles for its pre-Broadway nun. But in addition to the laughs, Martin thinks there's something especially poignant about The ‘Drowsy Chaperone’ appeal. “I's about the experience of someone loving something with passion and desperately wanting to share it with people. So we've tried to create the impression of a forgotten musical in the same way that Man in Chair is forgotten in his own world. “He nota high functioning person,” says Martin, “but he has a passion for this pure kind of escapist entertainment ‘Thats his love ‘And entertaining, whether it's acting or writing, has been Martin's love since he was 17 when he began ‘working in Canadian television, “I guess I was always a funny guy pretty much,” he says. “But I really found my comic voice at Second City in Toronto where all the material was created through improvisation. “Once that material was assem: bed into a show and it opened, you began another show immediately So that was.a great way to endlessly create material.” And he did, writing and performing in four Second City revues, directing three and serving. as artistic director fora short time. Concurrent with his recent years ‘of working on Chaperone, Martin has also written and served as creative producer for the Canadian television series Slings and Arrows, a comedy about the backstage goings on at a Shakespearean Theater Festival. Now im its third season, it was purchased by the Sundance Channel for airing inthe U.S. Martin admits allthis recent recognition feels a litle weird, calling himself a “bit ofa shy guy.” Still, he and his wife have found it exciting “And there's always going to be this other layer of the show being that it did begin in its own way as a wedding gift.” he says. *So it will always have that resonance for us.” @ Sanda Kreiswith 2 in Hermosa Beach, ance writer ving