![]() įollowing the Fringe staging, Toronto commercial theatre producer David Mirvish financed an expanded production at Toronto's 160-seat, independent Theatre Passe Muraille in 1999. ![]() When the show was reshaped for the Toronto Fringe Festival, Martin became a co-writer, creating Man in Chair to serve as a narrator/commentator for the piece. In its first incarnation, there was no Man in Chair, the musical styles ranged from the 1920s to the 1940s, and the jokes were more risqué. The Drowsy Chaperone started in 1997, when Don McKellar, Lisa Lambert, Greg Morrison and several friends created a spoof of old musicals for the stag party of Bob Martin and Janet van de Graaf. The show has had major productions in Toronto, Los Angeles, New York, London, Melbourne and Japan, as well as two North American tours as well as Batemans Bay in New South Wales. The show was nominated for multiple Broadway and West End theatre awards, winning five Tony Awards and seven Drama Desk Awards. The Drowsy Chaperone debuted in 1998 at The Rivoli in Toronto, and, after a 2005 run in Los Angeles, opened on Broadway on May 1, 2006. As the record plays, the show - a parody of 1920s American musical comedy - comes to life onstage, as the man wryly comments on the music, story and actors. The story concerns a middle-aged, asocial musical theater fan who, feeling "blue", decides to play for the audience an LP of his favorite musical, the fictional 1928 show The Drowsy Chaperone. When the curtain came down at WMPAC on May 27, it was obvious the audience appreciated the comedic chops of the LPHS performers as the theater was filled with laughter and a lengthy applause.The Drowsy Chaperone is a Canadian musical with music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, and a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar. Rowley said that Big Sky Broadway is grateful for the support and guidance from Camp Big Sky, which is run by the Big Sky Community Organization. Program alumni have gone on to study music and theatrical production at the university level, but most credit the experience with creating lasting friendships, improving confidence and sparking creativity in many areas. “Our goal is always to give as many kids as possible time on stage, which is why we also double cast the lead roles in our summer show,” Rowley said. Watching from his armchair, Man in Chair brings the audience in and out of the fantasy as they listen to the musical on an old LP record. The debonair groom and a pair of gangsters who double as pastry chefs thicken the complexity in this parody. The plot twists as her producer sets out to sabotage the nuptials, sending a Latin lover to seduce the bride who mistakenly discovers her tipsy chaperone instead. The show came to life on the WMPAC stage telling the tale of a Broadway starlet who wants to give up show business to get married. “A small ensemble cast, easier sets, props and costumes, and, perhaps most importantly, I only had to have three men.” “When I discovered ‘The Drowsy Chaperone,’ I could tell it was a show that met every parameter I have,” Rowley said. “I handle all the mechanics.”ĭasha Bough, an LPHS junior, opened the show as the Man in Chair, a middle-aged, introverted musical theater fan who plays the record of his favorite production: “The Drowsy Chaperone,” a fictitious 1928 musical comedy. “John is the artistic visionary who conceives of and executes thematic approaches to each show,” Rowley said. While Rowley handles behind-the-scenes logistics, she lauds Zirkle’s ability to manage a production. ![]() Kitty, played by Carter Johnsen, looks towards stardom as the new face of the Broadway in “The Drowsy Chaperone” at Warren Miller Performing Arts Center.įounded by producer Barbara Rowley, director John Zirkle, Klaudia Kosiak and Anna Middleton in 2009 as a division of Camp Big Sky, Big Sky Broadway is the community’s only youth theater company. ![]()
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