THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, a completely original new musical comedy directed and choreographed by Tony Award® nominee Casey Nicholaw (Spamalot), with music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison and a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, will begin previews April 3, 2006 and officially open May 1, 2006 at the Marquis Theatre (1535 Broadway). THE DROWSY CHAPERONE will arrive on Broadway following an acclaimed American premiere engagement produced at the Ahmanson Theatre by Center Theatre Group, L.A.'s theatre company, where Variety called the show "Positively inebriating."
THE DROWSY CHAPERONE features a company of 17 including Danny Burstein (Titanic), Georgia Engel ("Everybody Loves Raymond"), Tony Award® winner Sutton Foster (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Edward Hibbert (Noises Off), Troy Britton Johnson (Damn Yankees), Eddie Korbich (Wicked), Garth Kravits (Toxic Audio), Jason Kravits (Sly Fox), Beth Leavel (42nd Street), Kecia Lewis-Evans (Once on This Island), Second City's Bob Martin, Jennifer Smith (The Producers), Lenny Wolpe (The Sound of Music), Linda Griffin (42nd Street tour), Angela Pupello (Grease), Joey Sorge (Follies), Patrick Wetzel (The Producers) and a 15 piece orchestra.
To chase his blues away, a modern day musical theatre addict known simply as "Man in Chair" (Martin) drops the needle on his favorite LP – the 1928 musical comedy The Drowsy Chaperone. From the crackle of his hi-fi, the uproariously funny musical magically bursts to life on stage, telling the tale of a pampered Broadway starlet (Foster) who wants to give up show business to get married, her producer (Wolpe) who sets out to sabotage the nuptials, her chaperone (Leavel), the debonair groom (Johnson), the dizzy chorine (Smith), the Latin lover (Burstein) and a pair of gangsters who double as pastry chefs (Garth and Jason Kravits). Man in Chair's infectious love of The Drowsy Chaperone speaks to anyone who has ever been transported by the theater.
The creative team for THE DROWSY CHAPERONE features scenic design by Tony Award® nominee David Gallo (Thoroughly Modern Millie), costume design by Tony Award® nominee Gregg Barnes (Flower Drum Song), lighting design by Tony Award® winner Ken Billington (Chicago) and Brian Monahan and sound design by Acme Sound Partners. Orchestrations are by Larry Blank, dance and incidental music arrangements by Glen Kelly (The Producers), music director/vocal arrangements by Phil Reno and technical supervision by Brian Lynch. Casting is by Bernard Telsey Casting, hair design is by Josh Marquette, make up design is by Justen M. Brosnan. Karen Moore is the production stage manager.
THE DROWSY CHAPERONE is produced by Kevin McCollum, Roy Miller, Boyett Ostar, Barbara Freitag, Jill Furman and Stephanie McClelland.
DANNY BURSTEIN (Adolpho). Broadway: A Class Act; Titanic; Company; Saint Joan; The Seagull; Three Men on a Horse; A Little Hotel on the Side and The Flowering Peach. Off-Broadway: Mrs. Farnsworth; All in the Timing; I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change; The Boys from Syracuse; Weird Romance, among others. Regional: The Drowsy Chaperone (CTG Ahmanson). Film/TV: Martin on the BBC's "Absolutely Fabulous;" "Ed;" "Law & Order;" "Hope & Faith;" Duane Incarnate (TriBeCa/ Boston Film Festivals); Transamerica; "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." Training: High School of Performing Arts; Moscow Art Theatre; Queens College (BA) and UC San Diego (MFA). Danny is also the voice of Darius Fontaine in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and can be heard on numerous cast recordings.
GEORGIA ENGEL (Mrs. Tottendale). Broadway: Hello, Dolly! with Ethel Merman; My One and Only with Tommy Tune and Sandy Duncan. Off-Broadway: The House of Blue Leaves with Anne Meara and Harold Gould; Cut the Ribbons with Donna McKechnie and Barbara Feldon. National Tours: Nunsense 20th Anniversary all star tour. Regional: The Drowsy Chaperone (CTG Ahmanson), Charity in Sweet Charity; Adelaide in Guys and Dolls; Gooch in Mame; Sabina in The Skin of Our Teeth; Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. TV: Georgette on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (two Emmy nominations); Coach; Everybody Loves Raymond (three Emmy nominations).
SUTTON FOSTER (Janet). Broadway: Jo in Little Women (Tony Award nomination); Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony Award); Eponine in Les Misérables; the 20th Anniversary of Annie; The Scarlet Pimpernel; Grease. Also in New York: performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Town Hall; Actors' Fund benefit performances of Funny Girl and Chess. National Tours: Les Misérables (Ahmanson, 2000); Grease; The Will Rogers Follies. Regional: The Drowsy Chaperone (CTG Ahmanson), La Jolla Playhouse; Old Globe Theatre; Pittsburgh CLO; Goodspeed Opera House. Recordings: Little Women and Thoroughly Modern Millie original Broadway cast recordings; The Maury Yeston Songbook. TV: Tony Awards, "The Today Show," "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," "Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon," "CBS Early Show," "Regis & Kelly."
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