For anyone who’s ever pined for a time when things were simpler, Drowsy Chaperone is the answer. For those who love to laugh uproariously, once again, Drowsy Chaperone comes through.

In spite of its most boring title, Drowsy Chaperone has proven time and again to be a delightful “musical within a comedy” for audiences of all ages. From the first words, spoken into the darkness of the unlit auditorium, “I hate theater…” audience members will find themselves chortling along as they follow the reminiscing of the main character, a delightfully frumpy, musical-loving loner with an uninspiring name: Man in Chair.

The story follows Man in Chair, where, in an effort to chase away his blues, drops the needle on his favorite LP -- the 1928 musical comedy The Drowsy Chaperone. From the crackle of his hi-fi, the raucously funny musical magically bursts to life on stage, telling the tale of a pampered Broadway starlet who wants to give up show business to get married, her producer who sets out to sabotage the nuptials, the debonair groom, the dizzy chorine, the Latin lover, a pair of gangsters who double as hilarious pastry chefs and of course her slightly inebriated – I mean “drowsy” – chaperone.

With “more laughs per minute than any new show on Broadway” (WWCR-TV), Drowsy Chaperone has proven itself a true Broadway hit, with an impressive list of awards:

2006 Tony Award
Best Book of a Musical
Best Original Score
Best Featured Actress in a Musical
(Beth Leavel)
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Best Costume Design of a Musical

2006 Drama Desk Award
Outstanding Musical
Outstanding Book of a Musical
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
(Beth Leavel)
Outstanding Lyrics
Outstanding Set Design of a Musical
Outstanding Music
Outstanding Costume Design

2006 Theatre World Award
Bob Martin

Chaperone Trivia

Drowsy Chaperone was originally written as a bachelor party entertainment for Bob Martin and Janet Van De Graaff. (They decided to rework it).

Bob Martin (Book, Man in Chair), Lisa Lambert (Music and Lyrics), Greg Morrison (Music and Lyrics), and Don McKeller (Book) all worked on Slings and Arrows.

A couple of the original cast members are quite familiar: Georgia Engel (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Everybody Loves Raymond) and Edward Hibbert (Fraiser)

(musical, G/PG-13, mild sexual content and a profusion of double entendres, reviewed here)

Tickets for The Drowsy Chaperone are available at The Capitol Theatre box office: 509-853-ARTS or 800-325-SEAT.