The Drowsy Chaperone 2006 - Articles Page 1.8

Opened: May 1, 2006
Closing: December 30, 2007

The Drowsy Chaperone - 2006 - Broadway History , Info & More

The Drowsy Chaperone is a hilarious and meta-theatrical musical that injects a dose of nostalgia and playful satire into the world of classic Broadway musicals. It follows Man in Chair, a reclusive musical fanatic obsessed with a long-forgotten 1928 show called "The Drowsy Chaperone." As he listens to the cast recording, the characters and music of "The Drowsy Chaperone" magically come to life in his living room.



The plot of "The Drowsy Chaperone" itself is a whirlwind of romantic entanglements, mistaken identities, and over-the-top drama. We meet a naive ingenue named Janet, a dashing (but perpetually shirtless) hero named Robert, a suspicious chaperone named Mrs. Tottendale, a hilariously flamboyant Latin lover named Adolphe, and a sassy and cynical showgirl named Kitty.



Through Man in Chair's witty narration and interjections, the audience is aware of the absurdity of the situations unfolding within the "show within a show." The musical pokes fun at classic musical tropes while celebrating their charm. The catchy score blends classic musical styles with unexpected influences like jazz and klezmer, adding to the playful and unpredictable atmosphere. Ultimately, The Drowsy Chaperone is a love letter to the golden age of musicals, delivered with a wink and a smile.

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Patti LuPone, Sierra Boggess & Sutton Foster to Star in Sondheim Celebration at the Hollywood Bowl
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Apr 17, 2023


Patti LuPone will lead a glittering cast of Broadway luminaries for Everybody Rise! A Sondheim Celebration at the Hollywood Bowl. See how to purchase tickets!

Sutton Foster Will Extend Café Carlyle Engagement To June 10th
by Stephen Mosher - Apr 6, 2023


Sutton Foster's return to the cabaret stage will be a little longer than planned, thanks to an extension.

Previews: THE DROWSY CHAPERONE at Marjorie Luke
by Anna Jensen - Jan 25, 2023


The chaperone has hit the bottle pretty hard and is 'napping.' The young lady she's meant to watch over has cold (or are they itchy?) feet about her impending nuptials. What could go wrong? Everything--in the most musical and zany way possible, of course. The screwball Broadway hit, The Drowsy Chaperone opens at the Marjorie Luke's stage this weekend.

Review: THE DROWSY CHAPERONE is Anything but Drowsy at MAD Theatre of Tampa
by Drew Eberhard - Oct 29, 2022


The Drowsy Chaperone is a musical comedy, about a musical within a comedy, featuring music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. With a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, this musical tells the story of a fictional 1928 musical. The story itself centers around a character, 'Man in Chair,' as he describes to the audience his trepidations in life and this overwhelming feeling of sadness and foreboding which he calls 'Blue.' So over the course of two hours the 'Man in Chair,' takes the audience on a journey using the only thing he knows that will cheer him up, his love of Musical Theatre tunes, specifically classics such as The Drowsy Chaperone.

Mad Theatre of Tampa to Present THE DROWSY CHAPERONE at The Straz Center This Month
by Blair Ingenthron - Oct 9, 2022


Mad Theatre of Tampa will present The Drowsy Chaperone at The Straz Center October 14 through 30th. 

Previews: THE DROWSY CHAPERONE at Music Theatre Wichita, Century II PAC, Concert Hall
by Paula Makar - Aug 15, 2022


Wayne Bryan reluctantly leaves his role as Man in Chair in MTWichita's season finale, The Drowsy Chaperone due to medical reasons. Replacing him for the show will be John Scherer.

Interview: Patrick Wetzel & His History With THE PROM
by Gil Kaan - Aug 5, 2022


The national touring company of The Prom lands at the Ahmanson August 10, 2022 (with a preview August 9th). The story of a group of Broadway divas meshing with a small-town high school results in hijinks and lots of fantastic dancing. Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw reprises his Broadway directing and choreographic duties on this tour. Got a chance to throw some questions out to Patrick Wetzel, who plays one of the Broadway superstars Barry Glickman.

Review: THE DROWSY CHAPERONE at Hale Center Theater Orem is Showy but Intimate
by Tyler Hinton - Jul 9, 2022


THE DROWSY CHAPERONE at Hale Center Theater Orem is a splendidly showy but also intimately heartfelt love letter to musical theatre and its fans.

Review: Georgetown Palace's THE DROWSY CHAPERONE - Flawlessly Entertaining
by Lynn Beaver - Jun 30, 2022


What a complete joy it was to be so thoroughly entertained by a magnificent production at The Georgetown Palace Theatre’s Springer Stage.

Tickets On Sale For Beth Leavel, Taylor Iman Jones Led Pre-Broadway THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA In Chicago Tomorrow
by Alan Henry - Apr 27, 2022


The Pre-Broadway World Premiere will run for a limited five-week engagement, July 19 - August 21, 2022, at Broadway In Chicago’s James M. Nederlander Theatre. Find out how to get tickets.

CURTAINS Comes to the New Topper Theatre
by Stephi Wild - Mar 22, 2022


Villanova Theatre presents Curtains: A Musical Whodunnit with music and lyrics by Kander & Ebb, directed by Villanova University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, March 31–April 10. This production will pull out all the stops as it christens the proscenium-style Topper Theatre in the new John and Joan Mullen Center for the Performing Arts. 

VIDEO: Remembering Bob Saget with Scenes from THE DROWSY CHAPERONE and More
by Nicole Rosky - Jan 10, 2022


According to TMZ and Variety, comedian and actor Bob Saget has died at 65. He was found in a hotel room in Orlando, where he appeared on Saturday night as part of a comedy tour and no cause of death has been released.

Tony Award Winner Beth Leavel Will Perform at the Black Box
by Stephi Wild - Sep 14, 2021


Leading lady Beth Leavel is a Tony Award-winning legend who has starred on Broadway in The Prom, The Drowsy Chaperone, Bandstand, Mamma Mia!, Young Frankenstein, 42nd Street, Crazy For You, The Civil War, Show Boat, Baby It's You, and Elf. Her film and TV credits include ER, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and The Unusuals.

Music Mountain Theatre Opens THE DROWSY CHAPERONE
by Marianka Swain - Sep 6, 2021


Music Mountain Theatre continues its 2021 season with The Drowsy Chaperone opening on September 10th. The show will run for three weekends with a total of twelve performances, closing on September 26th.

VIDEO: On This Day, May 1- THE DROWSY CHAPERONE Opens On Broadway
by A.A. Cristi - May 1, 2021


On this day in 2006, the hilarious new musical The Drowsy Chaperone opened at Broadway's Marquis Theatre!

Celebrating Women's History Month: Women in Theatre Through the Decades: 2000s-2010s
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Mar 22, 2021


This week, Through our Women in Theatre Through the Decades features, we are be highlighting the impact of women in theatre such as Sutton Foster, Kelli O'Hara, Kathleen Marshall, Lynn Nottage and more!

Pantochino Teen Theatre Revives Live Theatre in Connecticut with THE DROWSY CHAPERONE
by A.A. Cristi - Aug 14, 2020


Pantochino Productions Inc., Milford's professional, not-for-profit theatre for family audiences, successfully brought live musical theatre back to Downtown Milford with it's Teen Theatre production of 'The Drowsy Chaperone' for two performances at the Rotary Pavilion in Fowler Field. 

BWW Exclusive: The 101 Greatest Musical Theatre Characters (1940-2020)
by Peter Nason - Apr 30, 2020


BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the best musical theatre characters from 1940-2020; see if your favorites are on our list of the best characters from Broadway musicals.

BWW Book Club: Read an Excerpt from THE UNTOLD STORIES OF BROADWAY: The Marquis Theatre
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Apr 13, 2020


BroadwayWorld Book Club is officially off and running! Or should we say, reading! The first BroadwayWorld Book Club selection is Jennifer Ashley Tepper's The Untold Stories of Broadway Volume 1. Tepper has just released the first volume of the book for free on Kindle!

Breaking: Beth Leavel and Taylor Iman Jones Will Lead THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA Musical; Chicago Premiere Pushed to 2021
by Nicole Rosky - Dec 3, 2019


Tony Award-winner Beth Leavel will play the iconic Miranda Priestly in the new musical, The Devil Wears Prada and the role of the wide-eyed assistant, Andy Sachs, will be played by Taylor Iman Jones (Groundhog Day, Head Over Heels). The Pre-Broadway World Premiere of the new musical will open at Broadway In Chicago's CIBC Theatre from July 13-August 15, 2021 for a limited run prior to a Broadway engagement. The production had previously been announced to play in Chicago next year at a different venue.

Theatre Tulsa Announces THE DROWSY CHAPERONE
by Stephi Wild - Sep 30, 2019


Theatre Tulsa has announced that its second musical of its 97th season Broadway Series will be a?oeThe Drowsy Chaperone.a??

North Shore Theatre Company Returns To Zenith Theatre For THE DROWSY CHAPERONE
by A.A. Cristi - Jul 30, 2019


North Shore Theatre Company (NSTC) is returning home to the Zenith Theatre in Chatswood after a three year hiatus to open the hilarious musical farce The Drowsy Chaperone from 6 to 15 September 2019. 

THEATER: ALL THE MOVING PARTS to Feature Casey Nicholaw
by Julie Musbach - Jul 18, 2019


Tony-winning director-choreographer Casey Nicholaw is featured in this monthly episode of 'THEATER: All the Moving Parts', hosted by veteran journalist, Patrick Pacheco. Nicholaw has the remarkable distinction of having four shows running concurrently on Broadway: 'Book of Mormon,' 'Aladdin,' 'Mean Girls,' and "The Prom." Included among his many future projects is "Some Like It Hot."   

Review Roundup: THE DROWSY CHAPERONE at Broadway At Music Circus; What Did The Critics Have To Say?
by Alan Henry - Jul 11, 2019


The Drowsy Chaperone is now on stage at Broadway at Music Circus! What did the critics think? Read all the reviews!

BWW Interview: Lynne Wintersteller of THE DROWSY CHAPERONE Talks About Her Favorite Roles at Broadway at Music Circus, Iconic T.V. Shows, Staying Positive, and More!
by Courtney Symes - Jul 5, 2019


When it opened on Broadway in 2006, The Drowsy Chaperone boasted an all-star cast and garnered five Tony Awards, including Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. You can expect that same quality in Broadway at Music Circus' third production of the summer, with Lynne Wintersteller returning to Sacramento in the title role. Lynne was last seen here in 2017 as Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly! and as Mother Superior in Sister Act, where she solidified her place as Music Circus royalty and left audiences anticipating her return. We are now lucky enough to witness that event and Lynne was generous enough to speak with Broadway World Sacramento about her newest role and what we can expect from her in the future.

Other Productions of The Drowsy Chaperone

1998   Toronto Reading
Toronto
1999   Toronto Toronto Fringe Festival Production
Toronto
1999   Toronto La Passe Muraille Production
Toronto
2001   Toronto Developmental Production
Toronto
2004   New York National Alliance for Musical Theatre Presentation
New York
2005   Los Angeles US Premiere
Los Angeles
2006   Broadway Original Broadway Production
Broadway
2007   West End London Production
West End
2007   US Tour National Tour
US Tour
2018   East Haddam, CT (Regional) Goodspeed Musicals Revival
East Haddam, CT (Regional)

The Drowsy Chaperone - 2006 Broadway Awards and Nominations

Note: Award winners will appear on a background
Year Ceremony Category Nominee
2006 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Book of a Musical Bob Martin
2006 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Book of a Musical Don McKellar
2006 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Lyrics Lisa Lambert
2006 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Lyrics Greg Morrison
2006 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Music Lisa Lambert
2006 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Music Greg Morrison

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