Overview
Synopsis
When wealthy widow Mrs. Tottendale hosts the wedding of the year, she gets a lot more than a write-up in the society pages: Janet Van de Graaff, glittering starlet of Feldzieg’s Follies, is leaving the stage for love, a turn of events which horrifies the angry and anxious Mr. Feldzieg, whose chief investor has sent two gangsters disguised as pastry chefs to make sure he stops the wedding. Hiring Aldolpho, a Latin lover more vain than virile, to seduce the bride, is unsuccessful, as Janet’s chaperone, a drunken diva, gets herself mistaken for the bride and seduced in Janet’s place. It is left to the eager best man, George, to quite by accident break up the happy pair, when he sends groom Robert Martin out to the garden, blindfolded, and in roller skates. Such are the antics of The Drowsy Chaperone, a fictitious 1928 musical comedy. This magical piece of meta-theatre and playful, heartfelt parody of the 1920s musical comedy features a chirpy jazz age score by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, and a lively, clever book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, both of which were Tony winners in 2006. The score boasts such tunes as the scenery-chomping “Show Off”, the sizzling and silly “I Am Aldolpho”, the double-entendre laden “Toledo Surprise”, and the rousing anthem “As We Stumble Along”.
Show Information
- Book
- Bob Martin , Don McKellar
- Music
- Lisa Lambert , Greg Morrison
- Lyrics
- Lisa Lambert , Greg Morrison
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- Genres
- Comedy, Parody, Romance
- Settings
- Multiple Settings, Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- The Present, Apartment Of The Man In Chair, And 1928, Mrs. Tottendales's Estate
- Cast Size
- large
- Orchestra Size
- Recording
- Dancing
- Some Dance
- Licensor
- Music Theatre International
- Ideal For
- Community Theatre, Ensemble Cast, Elementary School, Large Cast, High School, Middle School, Star Vehicle Female, Theatre For Young Audiences (TYA), Mostly Male Cast, Includes Child, Early Teen, Late Teen Characters
Context
The Drowsy Chaperone is a parody of 1920s musical comedies playing in a “show within a show” structure. The Drowsy Chaperone first opened at the Rivoli Theater in Toronto in 1998. Nearly eight years later, in 2006, The Drowsy Chaperone took its first bow on Broadway. This production was packed with an all-star cast that included the powerhouse vocals of both Sutton Foster and Beth Level. The Drowsy Chaperone won a grand total of five Tony Awards, including Best Original Score and Best
to read the context for The Drowsy Chaperone JR and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
The show opens with the Man in Chair sitting in his living room remarking about feeling “self-conscious anxiety resulting in non-specific sadness,” a state he calls “blue.” To turn his day around he looks to his collection of Broadway records and debates which to play. He decides to play his favorite record, a recording of the 1928 hit musical comedy, The Drowsy Chaperone. As the record plays, the show comes to life, transforming the Man’s living room into a bold and lively Broadway stage. The
to read the plot for The Drowsy Chaperone JR and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass |
Songs
- Fancy Dress – Company
- Cold Feets – Robert, George
- Wedding Bells 1 - George
- Show Off – Janet, Company
- Show Off Encore - Janet, Company
- As We Stumble Along – Drowsy Chaperone
- I Am Aldolpho – Aldolpho, Drowsy Chaperone
- Toledo Surprise – Gangsters, Feldzieg, Kitty, Mrs. Tottendale, and Company
- Bride's Lament – Janet, Company
- Love Is Always Lovely In The End – Mrs. Tottendale, Underling
- Wedding Bells 2 - George, Men
- I Do, I Do In The Sky – Trix, Company
- Finale– Company
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
A genre of music developed especially from ragtime and blues and characterized by syncopated rhythms, complex chords, elements of improvisation, and distortions of pitch and timbre.
A type of theatre which draws attention to the nature of theatre and performance, often through a "play within a play"
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