WOB Dinner Theater Presents THE DROWSY CHAPERONE 1/21/11

Frederick will once again be the host for a regional theatrical premiere when The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre opens The Drowsy Chaperone on Friday, January 21st. The over-the-top, rollicking comedy, billed as "a musical within a comedy," opens the theatre's 2011 Season. It will kick off the biggest season in the dinner theatre's history, which will include Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, Hairspray, Chicago, and Christmas Tidings.

A rare combination of unprecedented originality and blinding talent, The Drowsy Chaperone boldly addresses a great unspoken desire in all of our hearts: to be entertained. If you've ever sat in a dark theatre and thought, "Dear Lord in heaven, please let it be good," this is the show for you! It all begins when a die-hard musical theater fan plays his favorite cast album on his turntable, and the musical literally bursts to life in his living room, telling the rambunctious tale of a brazen Broadway starlet trying to find, and keep, her true love. Full of fun and over-the-top characters -- a bride who's giving up the stage for love, her dim but debonair bridegroom, a producer who sets out to sabotage the wedding, bumbling gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a flakey chorus girl, a Latin lothario and of course the drowsy chaperone -- The Drowsy Chaperone is a tribute to the early days of Broadway and is ready to, not only make its Western Maryland regional debut, but take its place as Way Off Broadway's season-opener.

The original Broadway production of The Drowsy Chaperone opened in the spring of 2006 and ran for over 700 performances at the Marquis Theatre before finally closing in December of 2007. The only "original" musical - not based on a movie, book, or other already existing work - to open on Broadway that season, it garnered 13 Tony Award nominations, taking home five trophies: Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Featured Actress, Best Scenic Design, and Best Costume Design. That same year, it won seven Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Musical.

The Drowsy Chaperone was originally written as a spoof of old musicals by friends for the wedding of Bob Martin and his wife, Janet Van De Graaff. Martin, along with friends Lisa Lambert, Greg Morrison, and Don McKellar, not only turned the spoof into a full musical, he starred in the original Toronto, Broadway, and West End productions as "Man in Chair." His wife's name, "Janet Van De Graaff," became the name of the show's leading lady, who was played by Tony Award-winning actress Sutton Foster. Georgia Engel and Beth Leavel also starred in the original Broadway cast. Other stars such as Geoffrey Rush, Bob Saget, Cindy Williams, Jo Anne Worley, Elaine Paige, and John Glover would appear in subsequent productions in the U.S., London, and Australia.

Taking his place in the chair and leading the cast, as Man in Chair, for Way Off Broadway's production is Alexandria-based actor Jeffrey Davis. Joining Davis on the WOB stage are Alison Daniels as Janet Van De Graaff, Jonny Kigin as Gangster #2, Trey T. Kiska as Aldolpho, Jaimie Hoover as Kitty, David I. Marcus as Underling, Shawn Nakia as Robert Martin, Pam Neely as Trix, Melvin Shoemaker as George, Jordan Stocksdale as Feldzieg, Jeremy Trammelle as Gangster #1, Denise Wade as Mrs. Tottendale, and Taylor Whidden as The Drowsy Chaperone.

The Drowsy Chaperone has music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison and a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar. Way Off Broadway's The Drowsy Chaperone is directed by Justin M. Kiska with choreography Amanda Patten and musical direction by Jordan Stocksdale.

"I am extremely excited about this show," says Kiska about directing The Drowsy Chaperone. "It's a fun, over-the-top character show that we've had so much fun with. While I loved the Broadway production, with WOB's being a regional premiere, I wanted to create a whole new staging and not just recreate what others have done."

The 2011 Season-opener runs from January 21 - March 19, 2011 with performances every Friday and Saturday evening; matinees on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sunday of each month; and special Show Only Performances on Sunday, February 27th and Sunday, March 13th. Tickets are $42 for a Friday evening or Sunday matinee and $46 for a Saturday evening performance. Show Only Performance tickets are $25 per person.

For additional information, visit www.wayoffbroadway.com. To purchase tickets, stop by the theatre or call the Box Office at (301) 662-6600.

The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre has been a leader in the region's performing arts community since it first opened in 1995. Under the direction of the Kiska Family since 2002, WOB has produced such productions as A Funny Thing . . . Forum, Guys & Dolls, Steel Magnolias, Oklahoma!, Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, The Odd Couple, A Chorus Line, The Sound of Music, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Evita, and Cats, as well as the regional and area premieres of Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl - The Musical, Jerry Herman's La Cage aux Folles, the musical comedy The Wedding Singer, Mel Brooks' The Producers, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Located along Route 40 West, the Golden Mile in Frederick, the theatre also produces a one-of-a-kind children's lunch theatre, as well as special events throughout the year. Following The Drowsy Chaperone, Way Off Broadway's 2011 Mainstage Season features Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, Hairspray, Chicago, and Christmas Tidings.

 

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