BWW Blog: Paige Faure - A Very DROWSY Opening

Hello, how are we?

I'm feeling a little drowsy myself. It might be the glass of Red Zinfandel I have in my hand, or the fact that I have a three month old baby boy, Henry, who is always so excited to see me...at 3 am. Or it could be because last night we opened a beautiful production of "The Drowsy Chaperone" in Raleigh, NC at the North Carolina Theater, directed by Casey Hushion, with two weeks of rehearsal and little time to breathe let alone breastfeed. Regardless of the lack of sleep, I have to say I'm having such a grand time singing and cartwheeling with this bunch of actors. I mean, how many times in your life does someone say, "Would you be willing/able to share the stage with Beth Leavel reprising the role for which she won a Tony Award?" Boy, does that ever give you the fire to get back into shape post-partum. And if that weren't enough, the rest of the cast seems to be custom-made for their roles as well, including former-American Idol runner-up, Clay Aiken, playing the Man In Chair. Say what you want about reality stars, but he is the real deal, y'all. Makes me misty every night. Of course, I say every night like we have been doing this forever or will be doing this forever...no no, like a lot of regional gigs, this one lasts a mere week in actual performance mode. Sometimes one week is enough but I dare say, I could do this one for months on end. This all may seem a bit gushy - I don't like to be gushy - but it's true. If you haven't seen DROWSY somewhere, you should. Now. Preferably ours. Because we like big crowds laughing at us. (In the intentional way...)

Alas, many of you will not be able to see this one this time, so let me ruin a plot point for you - everyone gets married at the end. No one is left sad or lonesome or "blue" as Man In Chair puts it. The (Toledo) surprise of DROWSY is how silly it seems at first glance, then how meaningful it becomes as it unfolds. It leaves even the biggest outcast with a sense of belonging. Not that everything can or will be perfect, but that anyone can find their best possible place in the world, even if there's some STUMBLING ALONG the way...(Love that tune.) And its fun. Just fun.

Speaking of FUN - after my very short tenure as Miss Janet Van der Graff, I will be taking my little gypsy baby back on the road to hang with his daddy, my husband, Adam Monley, in Houston, TX for the Theater Under the Stars production of Spamalot, where he is playing "Sir Galahad". I will be judging the fate of my son based on his ability to handle the comedic genius of the Monty Python world. I don't care that he is but an infant - I have standards. Any self-respecting mother would. However, I'm fairly certain he will appreciate it, particularly since he even finds it amusing when I say "poopie" with a Muppet-like face. SO - Stay tuned, for the next exciting chapter of Paige Faure's Blog: "Will Henry find the Holy Grail of humor?"

Peace and Joy - Pf.

Photo Credit: Curtis Brown

Paige Faure as Janet Van der Graff