58 Dock Line Magazine, Inc. - Lake Conroe Edition February 2013

By: Carolyn Corsano Wong

There’s no chance of becoming drowsy dur-ing a performance of the The Drowsy Chaper-one! This Tony award winning parody of 1920’s Broadway musicals spins along at a joyful dizzying pace that befits the lively, lovely songs and hilari-ously improbable storyline typical of musicals of that time. The Drowsy Chaperone,

with a book by Bob Mar-tin and music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, begins with the narrator of the piece, Man in Chair, reflecting back on the pre- “Rent”

“That’s what an overture is:

a musical appetizer; a Pu Pu

Platter of tunes, if you will.” –

Man in Chair

Michael Hayes as the Man in Chair

Continued on page 60 1

Dock Line Magazine, Inc. - Lake Conroe Edition February 2013 59

era of American musical theater, when the plot of a musical was just a way of getting from one production number to another. He then shares his beloved vinyl recording of this play with the audience, who are transported back through time to watch all the

delightful silli-ness unfold. Director Travis Bryant noted that the audience attending this production actually represents two audiences; they are the modern day audience listening to the Man in Chair spin the tale of his favorite musical piece and they are also the 1928 audience the characters “play to” as they burst to life in his apartment. It’s a won-derful step back in time!

From the crackle of his hi-fi, the uproari-ously funny musical magically unfolds, telling the tale of a pampered Broadway starlet, Janet Van De Graaff, who wants to give up show business to get married to her debonair yet dimwitted groom Robert Martin, her producer Feldzieg who sets out to sabotage the nuptials, her drowsy (tipsy) chaperone who is supposed to be keeping her apart from the groom prior to the wedding, a dizzy chorine, Kitty, who is trying to be Feldzieg’s next leading lady, a Latin lover, Aldolpho who is as sharp as a meatball, and a pair of jovial gangsters who double as pas-

“No matter how well you play

the part of the happy wife, you

will never get a standing ova-

tion!” – Feldzeig

The Drowsy Chaperone – Kim Bryant

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60 Dock Line Magazine, Inc. - Lake Conroe Edition February 2013

try chefs. In addition to all that, Trix, an aviatrix drops in on the fun complete with her biplane on stage! A dizzy plot indeed!

The cast of the show is comprised of STAGE RIGHT stalwarts Carolyn Corsano Wong as the daffy wedding hostess Mrs. Tottendale and Steven Wong her dry-humor dripping butler Underling. Michael Raabe is back as the harried producer Feldzieg. Our audiences will remember Michael as the lovely (!) Claire as in Sunny & Claire from our

production of The Carol Burnett Show. Phillip Skoblick is mak-ing a quick return to the Crigh-ton stage as one of the Gang-sters having last been seen as convict Alfred in our recent

production of My Three Angels. Also returning to STAGE RIGHT is Robert Evans as Robert Martin. Robert was in our production of Dearly Beloved a

few years back where he was also playing a groom only this time he gets to sing and tap dance his way down the aisle!

New to our ranks and the Crighton stage are Elizabeth

Garrett Curtin as Kitty, Bobby Mauro as Gangster #2, Meaghan Schultz and John McDonald play-ing multiple ensemble roles, Hunter McMahon

as the tap dancing best man George, Jonathan Rozas as the scenery-chewing

Aldolpho, Christina Taylor as high flying Trix, and the lovely Libby Bryant as Janet Van De Graaff. Re-turning to the Crighton stage in their first STAGE RIGHT production are funny man Michael Hayes as the Man in Chair (Michael was last seen at the Owen Theatre as Felix in The Odd Couple), and Kim Bryant (who was directed by her capable hus-band Travis at the Owen as Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun).

The Drowsy Chaperone comes to the historic Crighton The-atre from Feb.

Come step back in time with us!!

“Keep your eyeball on the

highball.”

– The Drowsy Chaperone

“A trifle too much?

One cannoli hope!”

– Gangsters

“Pick a number between

one and three.” - Kitty

Michael Hayes with Libby Bryant as Janet Van De Graaff- showing off!

Dock Line Magazine, Inc. - Lake Conroe Edition February 2013 61

Janet and her groom Robert (Robert Evans)

15- Mar. 3, 2013, Friday and Saturday nights at 8 pm and two Sunday matinees Feb. 24 and Mar. 3 at 2 pm. Tickets can be obtained by calling the box office at 936-441-7469 or online at www.

stage-right.org/tickets. Tickets are $20 for adults, $17 for seniors and $15 for kids. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. As with every STAGE RIGHT show, we are highlighting a need in our community and then throwing a spotlight on that need. Please bring a gift card for donation to the Montgomery County Women’s Center when

Real life mother and daughter Kim and Libby Bryant portray the Drowsy Chaperone and the bride Janet Van De Graaff

“He was a man

of 1,000 accents,

all of them

offensive.”

- Man in Chair

about Aldolpho

“…’twas a happy fate for

Hank the eight and Anne

Boleyn, love is always lovely

in the end.”

– Mrs. Tottendale

“Married?

Heavens no

madame, if

I’m going to

serve a woman

I’d prefer to be

paid for my

efforts.”

– Underling

“You’re in truffle

now! And there’s

muffin you can do

about it!” - Gangsters

you come to the show. We hope to see you back in 1928! u

“In the real world the only

people who burst into song

are the hopelessly

deranged.” – Man in Chair