‘Drowsy Chaperone’ promises an evening of laughter and song

LIONVILLE >> What’s more fun than a musical? How about a musical within a musical! That’s exactly what the Barley Sheaf Players’ spring production promises: A night of fun, and two musicals for the price of one! What makes it so much fun? There’s mixups! There’s mayhem! There may even be a wedding, if the bride and groom don’t run into each other before the wedding and bring themselves bad luck!

The show opens with a man sitting in his apartment, perusing his collection of Broadway records (yes, records!). When he plays the soundtrack to his favorite Broadway show, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” the characters come alive before our very eyes. “The Drowsy Chaperone” is a fictional musical from 1928 and celebrates all that theater lovers adore about classic musicals – catchy tunes, big production numbers, and even a spit-take or two.

Director Christine Robinson has been dreaming of the day that she would be able to bring this show to the Barley Sheaf stage since she saw it for the very first time seven years ago. Now that she finally has the opportunity, she has assembled a powerhouse cast to bring her vision to life.

Kevin Walters, who plays the nameless Man in Chair, is returning to the character for the third time. His connection to the character radiates from the very first opening monologue.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” opened on Broadway in 2006 and won the Drama

Desk Award for Outstanding Musical and the Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. The popularity of the show has already resulted in lots of ticket sales; their run is over halfway sold out! If you’re lucky enough to grab a ticket for this show, you will be guaranteed an evening of many laughs and tunes that will stick in your head long after the closing number.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” opens Friday, March 3 at the Barley Sheaf Players theater in Lionville. The show runs Friday and Saturday evenings through March 25th. And if an 8 p.m. curtain time is too late for you, don’t worry – there are also two Sunday matinees on March 12 and March 19. Tickets can be reserved online at www.barleysheaf.org or by calling the box office at 610-363-7075.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Pictured from left: Alex Harding as Gangster #1, Doug Pratt as Gangster #2, Marybeth Williamson as Kitty, and Carey Rumpf as Feldzieg.