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At the start of The Drowsy Chaperone, a man sits in a chair and puts on an old cast recording, which sounds like approximately the lamest idea ever. But as he listens, performers materialize and stage a daffy show within the show. You may have heard that this Toronto import is a "love letter to musical theater," which is true, or that it appeals only to musical buffs, which is not. The cliches parodied here are hardly unique to theater. It helps, too, that the production marks an exquisite Broadway-directing debut by choreographer Casey Nicholaw. But mainly its appeal lies in Bob Martin, who plays Man in Chair with the easy offhandedness and perfect timing that seem to be dispensed with Canadian passports. Throughout the show, he offers commentary on the old musical and how its comic romance relates to his own lonely life. "This scene couldn't be more ridiculous," he tells us, curling up with a juice box. Anytime a performer addresses the crowd this way, a play becomes interactive. But a comedy this funny becomes social. Unlike at some quiet little drama, you can hear how everyone else in the room is responding to each gag and punch line. And because this is live theater, Martin's performance changes in a thousand little ways depending on when we laugh, and how. Comedy has a special theatricality, one that a humorless Broadway loses. Delightfully, this show exploits every bit of it. — Jeremy McCarter

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New York Magazine Reviews

• Jeremy McCarter's Full Review (5/15/06)

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• Bob Martin: The Unlikely Broadway Star (6/5/06)