TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

A line spoken by Bruce Saathoff as The Man in the Chair just before the finale of "The Drowsy Chaperone" goes something like this: "A musical does what it's supposed to do -- it takes you into another world."

Stars' production of this happy show within a show fulfills that promise every step of the way. I attended Sunday's matinee performance and was captivated from beginning to end.

And that says a lot when you're talking about a show that has almost no plot. Suffice it to say it's about a 21st century man who yearns for musicals of the 1920s. In a goofy kind of way, it's also about weddings -- planned, unplanned, postponed and otherwise.

Except for The Man in the Chair's narration, nearly all of the story is told in song, most of it humorous in nature. And with a cast as talented as this one, it fairly zips along. What a pleasure it was to hear lyrics delivered by actors who not only sing well but who know how to enunciate. Plus the sound system is excellent.

Brian Sivesind, an experienced director in his first outing at Stars, has used a careful hand in emphasizing the ensemble nature of the show. Given the outstanding talent of some of the actors, it must have been tempting to spotlight only one or two. But Sivesind delivers a well-balanced show and, at the same time, gives the lead actors their due in only a few solo scenes and various cameos, many of them hilarious.

Part of the fun blossoms in the form of surprises that burst forth as the show progresses.

To give you only one example, I'm sure my jaw dropped open to see Bethany Rowlee gracefully fall to the floor doing the splits as part of a dance routine, then topping it off with a somersault through a hula hoop.

I've seen Rowlee in other shows, been thrilled with the quality of her voice and admired the way she moves on stage, but I had no idea she was a gymnast.

Another entertaining aspect of the show is the intentional overacting. Ken Burdick is the ultra ham actor -- delightfully "chewing the scenery" -- as Adolpho, a romantic stage idol. Tamara White as the Drowsy Chaperone, who's rarely without a cocktail glass in her hand, is a perfect match for Burdick's powerful antics.

Other scenes I especially enjoyed include the solo tap dance by Dallas White, who was joined by Brent Rochon to make it a pleasing duo. Rochon, along with Marzie Forzetting, did the choreography, which is a strong element of the show and goes a long way in keeping things moving.

And I cannot forget the amusing and somehow tender scene between two veteran Stars performers, Virginia Lenneman and Jim Fillbrandt, both of whom also do a nice soft-shoe routine.

The set itself is something of a wonder. It includes five different entrances and exits -- one of them is the refrigerator -- and a Murphy bed that folds down from the wall at appropriate moments.

For the final scene, in which just about everybody gets married, two-thirds of the scenery is quickly moved aside to reveal a mock-up of a monoplane with Jill Burdick as the lively Trix the Aviatrix.

Also contributing to the whole production are the dazzling costumes done by Kathi Lowry and the snappy seven-piece band led by Char Gaines, who doubled as vocal director.

"The Drowsy Chaperone" continues at Star on weekends through Feb. 11.