The Drowsy Chaperone Tickets Information
If I have a chance I will present Tony Awards to the year's Best Musical "The Drowsy Chaperone". The beauty of musical classic lies in its originality. Definitely, it's original; it’s not adapted from a music catalog or novel, movie or book. "The Drowsy Chaperone" is sheer fun fused with best music with innovation. The story is about the love for 1920's jazz musicals with great sense of humor.
It is a written by Alumni of the Second City theatre. Originally "The Drowsy Chaperone" an extensive musical skit was fashioned years ago as a bachelor party present for Bob Martin and his bride-to-be wife, Janet Van De Graaff. It was at first performed at their home town in Toronto at the Fringe Festival then to Los Angeles, and again to the Marquis Theatre. Almost in a quarter of a century, this is the first Broadway show produced by Canadians. The play satirizes American musicals of the 1920s.
Both bride and groom were great fans of old musicals. Whereas Mr. Martin’s friends, Lisa Lambert, Greg Morrison and Don McKeller were comedic veterans, (they worked with Mr. Martin on various occasions), wrote this play Mr. Martin united them for rewritings and the cluster brought the show to Fringe of Toronto Theatre Festival, where it was a blasting hit.
The musical has all the tradition elements of a classic musical. The plot of the play is very plain and packed with stereotypes from older Broadway musicals. It contained all the tradition essentials of a classic musical.
The play starts form the day of wedding of Janet Van de Graaff to Robert Martin. She is already a famous star more then ready to give up the part in the Follies to marry the love of her life who is Feldzig. The producer and one of the investors knowing that she is the main attraction for the audience wants to keep her in the show. A couple of "boys", delicately cloaked as pastry chefs are sent by the investors to persuade Feldzig that his bride-to-be Janet should stay on the show.
Janet's maid-of-honor is representing the title "The Drowsy Chaperone". She is assigned the work by the best man to keep Janet and Robert distant until the wedding. Janet, the bride is perplexed about marriage and wants to seek advice from her chaperone. Chaperone answers that she is feeling "sleepy" and will go for a nap. In her sleep, she murmurs to Janet that she should not go into the garden where her fiancé and husband to-be is present and inquires him if he really loves her. This of course intrigues Janet to visit the garden. She sees Robert in the garden. She pretends to be a French girl just to test his love. Robert kisses Janet thinking her the French girl so this results as calling off the wedding by Janet because of his betrayal.
It’s not a complicated plot for a musical, but what makes it special and brilliant is the Man in Chair. The whole cast is fantastic. Mr. Martin is just the perfect man as Man in Chair, gripping your attention through the show and sharing finer points about it, the cast. The bride, Sutton Foster as Janet Van De Graaff is utterly marvelous. The part of the play where she tells the audience that she no more wants to show off but even this very confession is packed with her natural same show-off moments. Georgia Engel and Edward Hibbert Stage veterans have done a great job as Mrs. Tottendale and Underling (the butler). They present a fun burlesque scene together in which they themselves are having a great quality time which adds natural touch to the play.
The dancing part fitted like a gem in the show. It was choreographed as an old fashioned musical in the true spirit. Honestly I especially admired the tap duet between Robert and George, the best man. I haven't speculated male tap dancing in ages. I also liked the music when I was in the theater. But on my way back home I didn’t notice myself humming the tunes to myself. So I thought that the music was simply great for the show but didn’t click me to that extent. Whereas after few days as I was talking to a friend of mine about the show, I noticed myself humming tunes obviously they did show an impact on with me.
The costumes and set designs were ideal. It seems like the stage gradually transformed from a shabby studio apartment in to a marvelous country house. Spectators very much remain inside the apartment, but are elated to a utopia. The costumes are flawlessly designed with sufficient glamour and glisten to bring the stage to life. In short this show could not have been better then this.
The Drowsy Chaperone was nominated won five Drama Critics Circle Awards. These awards were for Production, Direction (Casey Nicholaw), Lead Performance (Bob Martin), Featured Performance (Beth Leavel), and Scenic Design (David Gallo). It also earned two 2000 Canadian Comedy Awards, for Pretty Funny Play and Pretty Funny Direction (Steve Morel). The play was nominated won fours whereas was nominated for six, Outer Critics Circle Awards. Nominations were for Outstanding Broadway Musical and Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Beth Leavel).
It won four Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Beth Leavel), Outstanding New Score (Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison), Outstanding Set Design (David Gallo), and Outstanding Costume Design (Gregg Barnes). The play was nominated for fourteen as won seven Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Music, Outstanding Lyrics, and more. Recently in 2006, it was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards and brought home won five: Book-Musical; Original Score (Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison); Featured Actress-Musical (Beth Leavel); Scenic Design-Musical (David Gallo); and Costume Design-Musical, (Gregg Barnes).
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