The Drowsy Chaperone won five 2006 Tony Awards, seven Drama Desk Awards and four Outer Critics Circle Awards. " (The Associated Press) "I was delighted to be outside in fresh air." (New York Theatre Guide) The musical opened to mixed reviews "Small and ingratiating musical" (The New York Times) "Little, horrifyingly pastiche musical." (New York Post) "The happiest surprise of the Broadway season� (The Hollywood Reporter) "A disarming, delightful souffl�. The Drowsy Chaperone opened at the Marquis Theatre on the, following previews from the, where it is currently booking to. From the crackle of his hi-fi, the musical magically bursts to life on stage, telling the tale of a pampered Broadway starlet who wants to give up show business to get married, her producer who sets out to sabotage the nuptials, her chaperone, the debonair groom, the dizzy chorine, the Latin lover and a pair of gangsters who double as pastry chefs. To chase his blues away, a modern day musical theatre addict known simply as 'Man in Chair' (Bob Martin) drops the needle on his favorite LP � the 1928 musical comedy The Drowsy Chaperone. Her theatre credits include starring with Elliott Gould in the national tour of 'Death Trap,' and portraying 'Charlotte Hay' in 'Moon Over Buffalo.' she recently starred in the national tour of 'Grease!' as 'Miss Lynch.' HEr film credits include 'American Graffiti,''Travels with My Aunt,' and 'The Conversation.' His "Man in Chair" is an everyman (OK, not quite everyman), someone who enjoys and is cheered up by the musical because it's unpretentious and ridiculous and just plain fun.As previously announced, TV star Cindy Williams will make her Broadway debut this evening () when she takes to the stage as 'Mrs Tottendale' in the musical The Drowsy Chaperone.Ĭindy Williams is known to TV audiances for her role as 'Shirley Feeney' on the classic ABC television series, �Laverne & Shirley.� which ran from 1976 - 83. The inclusion of some of his monologues in the cast recording is essential to understanding the complete show. Bob Martin, the only character in the non-musical comedy that surrounds the musical, is one of the show's authors. Georgia Engel, best known for her TV roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Everybody Loves Raymond, makes an exceptional and sweetly confused, older, rich widow. The actors all have fun with the music and their characters, not trying to outdo each other and not trying to make their characterizations too absurd. The pit orchestra doesn't include any strings, which adds to the old-fashioned feel of it. "Toledo Surprise," sung by gangsters disguised as caterers, has the rhythm of a Charleston. The songs also make use of dance rhythms, such as the tango and two-step. "I Remember Love" and "I Do I Do in the Sky" are prime examples of the story's silliness. It's the straightman for the absurd characters' lyrics. The music is not at all sophisticated, but tuneful and animated, in the vein of Nacio Herb Brown. The characters include a dotty dowager, a big-time producer, a Latin playboy, and an aviatrix, among others. They are homages to the carefree stage and movie musicals of the 1910s-1930s. However, the music and most of the ideas in The Drowsy Chaperone - the musical within the comedy, as it's called - are not exactly original. Like the previous year's 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Drowsy Chaperone is a "little musical that could." While not being a large-scale hit, it managed to win numerous awards, including five Tonys, and praise for being completely original at a time when almost all new musicals are based on previously published books, music, or movies.
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