By: Carolyn Corsano Wongresources.stage-right.org/Forms/DLMFeb2013.pdfThe Drowsy Chaperone, with a...
Transcript of By: Carolyn Corsano Wongresources.stage-right.org/Forms/DLMFeb2013.pdfThe Drowsy Chaperone, with a...
58 Dock Line Magazine, Inc. - Lake Conroe Edition February 2013
By: Carolyn Corsano Wong
There’s no chance of becoming drowsy dur-ing a performance of the The Drowsy Chaper-one! This Tony award winning parody of 1920’s Broadway musicals spins along at a joyful dizzying pace that befits the lively, lovely songs and hilari-ously improbable storyline typical of musicals of that time. The Drowsy Chaperone,
with a book by Bob Mar-tin and music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, begins with the narrator of the piece, Man in Chair, reflecting back on the pre- “Rent”
“That’s what an overture is:
a musical appetizer; a Pu Pu
Platter of tunes, if you will.” –
Man in Chair
Michael Hayes as the Man in Chair
Continued on page 60 1
Dock Line Magazine, Inc. - Lake Conroe Edition February 2013 59
era of American musical theater, when the plot of a musical was just a way of getting from one production number to another. He then shares his beloved vinyl recording of this play with the audience, who are transported back through time to watch all the
delightful silli-ness unfold. Director Travis Bryant noted that the audience attending this production actually represents two audiences; they are the modern day audience listening to the Man in Chair spin the tale of his favorite musical piece and they are also the 1928 audience the characters “play to” as they burst to life in his apartment. It’s a won-derful step back in time!
From the crackle of his hi-fi, the uproari-ously funny musical magically unfolds, telling the tale of a pampered Broadway starlet, Janet Van De Graaff, who wants to give up show business to get married to her debonair yet dimwitted groom Robert Martin, her producer Feldzieg who sets out to sabotage the nuptials, her drowsy (tipsy) chaperone who is supposed to be keeping her apart from the groom prior to the wedding, a dizzy chorine, Kitty, who is trying to be Feldzieg’s next leading lady, a Latin lover, Aldolpho who is as sharp as a meatball, and a pair of jovial gangsters who double as pas-
“No matter how well you play
the part of the happy wife, you
will never get a standing ova-
tion!” – Feldzeig
The Drowsy Chaperone – Kim Bryant
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try chefs. In addition to all that, Trix, an aviatrix drops in on the fun complete with her biplane on stage! A dizzy plot indeed!
The cast of the show is comprised of STAGE RIGHT stalwarts Carolyn Corsano Wong as the daffy wedding hostess Mrs. Tottendale and Steven Wong her dry-humor dripping butler Underling. Michael Raabe is back as the harried producer Feldzieg. Our audiences will remember Michael as the lovely (!) Claire as in Sunny & Claire from our
production of The Carol Burnett Show. Phillip Skoblick is mak-ing a quick return to the Crigh-ton stage as one of the Gang-sters having last been seen as convict Alfred in our recent
production of My Three Angels. Also returning to STAGE RIGHT is Robert Evans as Robert Martin. Robert was in our production of Dearly Beloved a
few years back where he was also playing a groom only this time he gets to sing and tap dance his way down the aisle!
New to our ranks and the Crighton stage are Elizabeth
Garrett Curtin as Kitty, Bobby Mauro as Gangster #2, Meaghan Schultz and John McDonald play-ing multiple ensemble roles, Hunter McMahon
as the tap dancing best man George, Jonathan Rozas as the scenery-chewing
Aldolpho, Christina Taylor as high flying Trix, and the lovely Libby Bryant as Janet Van De Graaff. Re-turning to the Crighton stage in their first STAGE RIGHT production are funny man Michael Hayes as the Man in Chair (Michael was last seen at the Owen Theatre as Felix in The Odd Couple), and Kim Bryant (who was directed by her capable hus-band Travis at the Owen as Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun).
The Drowsy Chaperone comes to the historic Crighton The-atre from Feb.
Come step back in time with us!!
“Keep your eyeball on the
highball.”
– The Drowsy Chaperone
“A trifle too much?
One cannoli hope!”
– Gangsters
“Pick a number between
one and three.” - Kitty
Michael Hayes with Libby Bryant as Janet Van De Graaff- showing off!
Dock Line Magazine, Inc. - Lake Conroe Edition February 2013 61
Janet and her groom Robert (Robert Evans)
15- Mar. 3, 2013, Friday and Saturday nights at 8 pm and two Sunday matinees Feb. 24 and Mar. 3 at 2 pm. Tickets can be obtained by calling the box office at 936-441-7469 or online at www.
stage-right.org/tickets. Tickets are $20 for adults, $17 for seniors and $15 for kids. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. As with every STAGE RIGHT show, we are highlighting a need in our community and then throwing a spotlight on that need. Please bring a gift card for donation to the Montgomery County Women’s Center when
Real life mother and daughter Kim and Libby Bryant portray the Drowsy Chaperone and the bride Janet Van De Graaff
“He was a man
of 1,000 accents,
all of them
offensive.”
- Man in Chair
about Aldolpho
“…’twas a happy fate for
Hank the eight and Anne
Boleyn, love is always lovely
in the end.”
– Mrs. Tottendale
“Married?
Heavens no
madame, if
I’m going to
serve a woman
I’d prefer to be
paid for my
efforts.”
– Underling
“You’re in truffle
now! And there’s
muffin you can do
about it!” - Gangsters
you come to the show. We hope to see you back in 1928! u
“In the real world the only
people who burst into song
are the hopelessly
deranged.” – Man in Chair