Andrea Chamberlain (center) performs with other cast members in "The Drowsy Chaperone" now at The 5th Avenue Theatre.

I attended a preview of “The Drowsy Chaperone” Thursday night at The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. Is it possible to over laugh? My jaw was a little worn out after the show.

The five-Tony Award winning Broadway musical is as much a comedy as it is a musical and there’s plenty of both – and dancing – in the delightful show.

The premise of the story is that a 21st century down-in-the-dumps man cheers himself up by putting on an album of a beloved 1920’s musical one evening. One by one the characters appear on stage (the man’s apartment) and the musical unfolds.

The musical within the play theme works so well thanks to that “man in chair” who acts as the narrator. Jonathan Crombie turns out an outstanding performance as he guides us through the show, sometimes stopping the action to wittily deconstruct a scene or offer some juicy gossip about the actors. It’s one of those rare performances that makes it impossible to imagine anyone else in the role.

The musical itself is delightfully overacted with cartoonish characters. Mishaps with the record player reverberate through the cast as if a puppeteer was in control. It all works astonishingly well.

Another standout performer was Andrea Chamberlain, playing Janet Van de Graaff, the star of the musical within the play. The highlight of the show is her performance of “Show Off.” During the piece she runs through a mind boggling number of talents, costume changes, photo posing and dance moves (the photo above) all the while lamenting her life in the spotlight.

The show has a fascinating back story. It was first put on as a series of songs and scenes as a wedding gift to performers Bob Martin (who went on to become the first “man in chair”) and Janet Van de Graaff in 1998. The show grew in length (now one hour, 45 minutes) and prominence, eventually making it to Broadway in 2006.

There isn’t a weak performance in the play/musical and only one irritating minor character: the stereotypical high-pitched New Yorker starlet wannabe. This is a show that has been tried, tested and tuned by years of performance. There isn’t one superflours line, missed cue or flat joke.

“The Drowsy Chaperone’ runs Tuesdays-Sundays through Nov. 16 at The 5th Avenue Theatre. Check their website or call 206-625-1900 for times and tickets.