Cindy Williams Joins 'Chaperone' as Tottendale 12/11

Broadway's Tony Award winning hit musical The Drowsy Chaperone will welcome television star Cindy Williams ("Laverne & Shirley") to the cast on Tuesday, December 11 at the Marquis Theatre (1535 Broadway).

Williams will make her Broadway debut when she assumes the role of "Mrs. Tottendale" from another television icon, JoAnne Worley ("Rowan & Martin's Laugh In"), who will play her final performance on Sunday, December 9.

Cindy Williams is perhaps best known for her role as "Shirley Feeney" on the classic ABC television series, "Laverne & Shirley." On the stage, she recently starred in the national tour of Grease! as "Miss Lynch" and has appeared in the national tour of Death Trap and as "Charlotte Hay" in Moon Over Buffalo. Her film credits include the seminal motion picture American Graffiti, directed by George Lucas, MGM's Travels with My Aunt, directed by George Cukor and The Conversation, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. On television she was most recently seen in guest starring roles on the series "Eight Simple Rules," "Law & Order: SVU," "Girlfriends" and "Less than Perfect." Her television appearances also include recurring roles in the Comedy Central series "Strip Mall" and the Warner Brothers series "For Your Love" and "Getting By." Williams has also gone behind the camera to co-produce the hugely successful Father of the Bride movie franchise.

The most celebrated musical of the 2006 season and the recipient of thirteen major awards, The Drowsy Chaperone received the most Tony Awards of any musical -five in total, including Best Book and Best Score, seven Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical, four Outer Critic's Circle Awards including Outstanding Score and the Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical.

The U.S. Tour of The Drowsy Chaperone concluded an engagement at Philadelphia's Academy of Music on Sunday, December 2nd and plays Cincinnati's The Aranoff Theatre from Tuesday, December 4th through Sunday, December 16th, 2007. The tour will play over 30 cities across the country including Birmingham, Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa, Atlanta, Naples, Orlando, Raleigh, Hartford, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, St. Paul, Boston, Providence, Greenville, Houston, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The Drowsy Chaperone began previews April 3, 2006 and opened on Broadway on May 1, 2006 at the Marquis Theatre (1535 Broadway).

The Drowsy Chaperone is directed and choreographed by Tony Award nominee Casey Nicholaw (Spamalot), with music and lyrics by Tony Award winners Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison and a book by Tony Award winners Bob Martin and Don McKellar.

"To chase his blues away, a modern day musical theatre addict known simply as "Man in Chair" (Bob Saget) drops the needle on his favorite cast album – the 1928 musical comedy The Drowsy Chaperone. From the crackle of his hi-fi, the uproariously funny musical magically bursts to life on stage. We are instantly immersed in the hilarious tale of a glamorous bride and her uproarious wedding day, complete with thrills and surprises that take both the cast (literally) and the audience (metaphorically) soaring into the heavens. Man in Chair's infectious love of The Drowsy Chaperone speaks to anyone who has ever been transported by the theater," explain press notes.

The Drowsy Chaperone plays Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday evening at 7:00 p.m. with matinees on Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Tickets prices range from $26.25 - $111.25 (including $1.25 facility fee) and are available through Ticketmaster (212-307-4100), online at www.ticketmaster.com or in person at The Marquis Theatre box office (1535 Broadway).  Visit www.DrowsyChaperone.com