His frequent interjections provide background on the cast of fictional Vaudeville and Hollywood stars playing the show’s characters and trace his character’s engagement with the show and its themes over time. Starting off as the friend who is so excited for you to see their favorite show that they can hardly stop watching you watch it, it gradually becomes clear that Aiken’s character’s delight as the show unfolds in his apartment is actually the best part.
#Drowsy chaperone characters full#
Our host turns to one of his favorite records (“yes, records.”), introducing Drowsy ’s show-within-the-show of the same name, “Gable and Stein’s The Drowsy Chaperone, remember?,” a 1928 musical romp full of “mixups, mayhem, and a gay wedding.” When the lights come up on Man in Chair’s apartment, he’s settling into a night at home in his oversized beige cardigan, feeling “a bit blue,” and seeking an escape from reality. (Aiken was first slated to star in the Pittsburgh production in 2021 before the CLO was forced to cancel its original season line-up.) It’s an ironic way to start a contemporary musical, made even more curious by the fact that our host is played here by 2003 American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken, a famous singer performing in a notably non-singing role. The voice belongs to the protagonist, an unnamed character who appears in the script only as “Man in Chair.” The theater remains dark for a good two more minutes as we listen to our narrator, a serious devotee of the stage, share his frustration with the mediocrity of today’s musical theater.
Sometimes it's live.So starts The Drowsy Chaperone at Pittsburgh CLO. "Sometimes, it's just people watching movies. "We seek art that speaks to us," Mills said. Their responses ranged from what the play meant to them as individuals to the overarching human tendencies it explores. Prior to their dress rehearsal on Sunday, March 20, spoke with the cast about the play's themes and the meaning it brings to theatre. "The Drowsy Chaperone" will be Director Daniel Mills first production with the Playhouse. He said: "I do far more acting in Daytona than they will ever do in New York." The words of a former past president of the Playhouse, Jerry Doty, have stuck with her through the years since she moved back. "The Drowsy Chaperone" will be her third show this season with the Playhouse, which is in its 75th season.īrazell, who moved to New York earlier in her life to pursue acting before returning to raise her family in Palm Coast, said there is always quality entertainment at the Playhouse. Now that she's retired, she can spend more time doing what she loves. "My first love is my church, and my second love is my family, of course, but the Playhouse has a pretty big part of my heart." "This has just been part of my life," Brazell said.
Tickets cost $25 for adults, $24 for seniors, and $15 for youth. Where: Daytona Playhouse, 100 Jessamine Blvd.ĭetails: See this loving send-up of the Jazz Age musical, directed by Daniel Mills. She's been doing theatre since she was in junior high, and first auditioned for a show at the Playhouse when she was a senior in high school in 1973. One of the colorful characters in the show is Mrs. Tottendale, played by Palm Coast resident Anji Brazell. "It's part an homage, and it's part poking fun at all those silly little things from the 1920s," Cargile said. Melissa Cargile has been involved with the Playhouse for about 10 years.
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