The Drowsy Chaperone
July 15-17 and 22-23, 2022
First Street Community Center
Book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar
Music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
Directed by John Zbanek Hill
Musical Direction by Leslie Hyland
Choreography by Courtenay Baker
A musical about a musical? A comedy with a musical attached? Actors who sing? Singers who act? However you describe it, The Drowsy Chaperone is like nothing you’ve ever seen before. It’s fast, it’s funny, it’s bawdy, and silly. And from start to finish, it’s a rollicking good time.
The full cast list is available here.
The audience is greeted by the narrator, Man in Chair, sitting on a darkened stage. He is a fan of vintage musicals, who seems to be suffering from free-floating depression, and he quickly decides to cheer things up by playing a record of the original cast recording of a (fictional) Broadway musical entitled The Drowsy Chaperone.
No sooner has the needle touched the record than we, together with the narrator, are transported to a 1928 Broadway theatre and into The Drowsy Chaperone, a play-within-a-play, crammed full of every cliche, gag and gimmick from the golden age of musicals.
The estate of Mrs. Tottendale, a wealthy dowager, is the site of an imminent wedding between showgirl, Janet Van De Graff, to oil tycoon, Robert Martin. We are introduced to a barrage of characters during an introductory opening number, including Mrs. Tottendale and her Underling, a proper butler; dashing bridegroom, Robert Martin; harried and bumbling best man, George; producer, Feldzeig; ditsy, would-be showgirl ingenue, Kitty; a pair of Gangsters disguised as the pastry chefs; Latin lothario, Aldolpho; Janet's Drowsy (i.e., "tipsy") Chaperone and Trix, a glamorous aviatrix, a la Amelia Earhart. Throughout the show, Man in Chair will continue to comment and explain the action with asides to the audience.
Feldzeig is agonizing over the fact that his top meal ticket, Janet, is leaving showbiz to get married. The Gangsters, who are in the employ of one of Feldzeig's investors, pressure him to sabotage the wedding so that he can retain Janet's services as a performer.
Robert and George nervously prepare for the wedding. George suggests that Robert blow off some steam by roller-skating. In order to prevent Robert from accidentally seeing the bride before the wedding, he also provides Robert with a blindfold.
Janet is lounging by a pool while fielding questions from reporters. Feldzeig arrives and attempts to convince her to reconsider the wedding, but she rebuffs him. He enlists the help of Latin lover, Aldolpho, convincing him to seduce Janet.
In her bedroom, Janet shares with her Chaperone her excitement about the upcoming nuptials. After Janet departs to find Robert, Aldolpho arrives and mistakes the Chaperone for Janet. The Chaperone quickly accepts his advances.
Janet encounters Robert, who is roller skating blindfolded in the garden. She puts on a bad French accent, and he fails to recognize her. At her request, he tells this alleged "stranger" how he first fell in love with Janet and they relive the moment together. However, this results in a kiss, whereupon Janet gets angry and accuses Robert of having kissed "a strange French Girl on your wedding day!"
Meanwhile, Kitty fails to persuade Feldzeig that he doesn't need Janet anymore because he has her as a replacement. The Gangsters arrive, angry that Feldzeig has not yet ruined the wedding. He distracts them by convincing them that they have showbiz talent. Aldolpho arrives to announce that the wedding is off because he has seduced the bride, but Feldzeig informs him that he has, in fact, seduced the Chaperone instead. However, Janet arrives to announce that the wedding is indeed off because Robert "kissed a French girl." And this is just Act I…
The Drowsy Chaperone is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
