Lights up on a woman in a chair. She’s lonely, but she doesn’t know it. When she puts on her recording of The Drowsy Chaperone, a shimmering explosion of song, dance, and silliness lifts her out of her sadness and into the Roaring ’20s.
TWU’s spring musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, is as fun and glamorous as a bubbly glass of champagne. This 1920s spoof follows Janet, a Broadway star who wants to leave the spotlight for a storybook romance with her dashing fiancé. But Janet’s producer and a mischievous pair of gangsters-in-disguise won’t let their leading lady go without a fight.
Enter a notorious Latin Lothario, hired to seduce the bride. With a chaperone who’s not too good at her job, will there be wedding bells…or scandal?
“This show pokes fun at the musical theatre world from a 21st-century perspective,” said director Angela Konrad. “It celebrates all the things you love about musicals, while poking fun at the rest. Mistaken identities, zany plot twists, catchy song and dance numbers — I dare anyone not to have a good time.”
Playing the drowsy chaperone is Julianna Towle, a second-year TWU student and Langley Secondary grad. “I think the beautiful thing about this story is that while it’s so ridiculous and hilarious, it still holds so much truth,” Towle said.
“It speaks to the imperfections of life and the people around us, but it also shows the beauty and joy that can be found within them.”
With infectious tap dance numbers, splashy jazz tunes, and even tongue-in-cheek love ballads such as “I Put a Monkey on a Pedestal,” The Drowsy Chaperone does everything a musical is supposed to do. As the woman in the chair says: “It takes you to another world.”
Set designer Carolyn Rapanos brings to life a bold and colourful Art Deco world, animated by Sabrina Evertt’s costumes and Graham Ockley’s lighting. Musical direction by Allan Thorpe, vocal coaching by Caroline Harder, and choreography by Joel Ballard.
The Drowsy Chaperone plays at TWU’s School of the Arts, Media + Culture (SAMC) from March 10 to 28. Onstage 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, with Saturday matinees at 2 p.m. Tuesdays are 2-for-1, and high school students are invited to attend an exclusive free performance with pizza—email samc@twu.ca to get details for that special event.
Watch a fun behind-the-scenes video online. For tickets and information, visit www.twu.ca/theatre or call 604-513-2121 extension 3872.
