5/18/2023 0 Comments Drowsy chaperone songsHe was the star.Ĭarly Wilson’s Janet Van De Graff was a tour-de-force in ‘Show Off’, the score’s best number, whilst Vanessa Wainwright, as the title character, made a martini-meal of ‘As We Stumble Along’. These were moments of sheer joy, which Ashwood handled like a pro. It was funny when the needle got stuck in the groove and the whole cast repeated the moment as he rushed across stage to correct it, and at the end with a sudden blackout just as the show (on record) was finishing. Brad Ashwood as The Man in the Chair was the epitome of a musical theatre queen, lost in a reverie of song-and-dance with witty asides that hit the mark. It’s a loving spoof about a Broadway star who wants to give up the theatre for love, her chaperone who is much too fond of vodka, a tap-dancing leading man and his best man (also a tap dancer), a Latin Lover, an aviatrix, and a couple of vaudevillians playing out a hoary old spitting scene as a running gag.ĭirector Robbie Parkin has assembled an astute collection of talent who bring this paean of Broadway lovingly to life. The Drowsy Chaperone sends-up a 1920s musical in much the same way as Sandy Wilson’s The Boy Friend did in the 50s, and Dames at Sea did in the 60s. Has there ever been a more glorious character invention than ‘The Man In the Chair’? Transported by what he imagines is happening on the stage as he listens to the vinyl recording of his favorite musical, it’s what every musical theatre geek experiences every time they listen to a cast recording. The ‘Man in the Chair’ character in this musical confection reminds us that good musical theatre should be ‘short, free of actors who roam the audience, and blessed with a story and a few good songs that will take me away.’ The Drowsy Chaperone does just that, and puts a smile on everyone’s face in the process. “Every few years the show comes back into our lives, and now we’re excited to go on a new adventure with it,” Greenblatt said.Music & lyrics: Lisa Lambert & Greg Morrison. The long lead time was needed to accommodate the schedules of the creative team, they said casting has not yet been determined. The producers oversaw a developmental reading of the script about a year ago, and said they expect more workshops before the move to Broadway. Joshua Bergasse, who choreographed the television series, will do the same for the stage show. The musical will feature a score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, including songs they wrote for the television series as well as new ones the team is best known for the Tony-winning score of “Hairspray” and is represented on Broadway this season by “Some Like It Hot.” The book will be written by Rick Elice (“Jersey Boys”) and Bob Martin (“The Drowsy Chaperone”). “It’s a backstage comedy about the putting on of a Marilyn Monroe musical,” Meron said, while Greenblatt’s summation was: “We’ve been calling it a comedy about a musical.”
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