Theatre Out Opens THE DROWSY CHAPERONE Tonight

Theatre opens the hit Broadway musical The Drowsy Chaperone as it's 4th 2014 main stage production tonight, June 6, 2014.

The Drowsy Chaperone originally opened on Broadway in 2006 after out-of-town previews in both Toronto and Los Angeles. The production played over 670 performances and was nominated for 13 Tony Awards including Best Musical, winning 5 including Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. The production also won the 2006 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical. The Drowsy Chaperonehas a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar with music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison.

As both a love letter to musical comedy and a parody of musical comedy, The Drowsy Chaperone begins with a lonely man in his apartment listening to his favorite cast recording - the fictitious The Drowsy Chaperone, written by Julie Gable and Sidney Stein. As the man listens to the record, the events of the musical unfold in his apartment and the audience is introduced to a cast of characters that could only exist in the glamor and glitz of early musicals. The central story line of the musical is that friends have come to the Tottendale Manor to celebrate the wedding of Janet Van De Graaff, the hottest Broadway star of the day, to Robert Martin, a wealthy playboy. Things don't go according to plan, however, when Janet's producer, Mr. Feldzieg, must come up with a plan to either face the wrath of gangsters or find a way to call off the wedding. As an homage to the late 1920s, however, all ends on a happy note with a quadruple wedding. But that's The Drowsy Chaperone ? what happens to the unnamed man in the chair as he listens to his favorite musical? This is left for the audience to decide.

Theatre Out's The Drowsy Chaperone is directed by David C. Carnevale, Theatre Out co-founder and director of this year's critically-acclaimed musical Bare. 'I'm excited to be working on such an amazing show, and one that I feel personally connected to,' commented Carnevale. 'Beyond the fun music and glitz of traditional musicals, The Drowsy Chaperone, shows how theatre, and musicals in particular, can impact a person's life. In an intimate setting, this message rings through loud and clear.'

'This is a challenging show to bring to a smaller stage, but the overall effect is stunning,' commented Joey Baital, designer and co-founder of Theatre Out. 'The audience will be able to feel like they are in the apartment with the Man in the Chair ? they can feel his pain and loneliness, but also his joy.'

The Drowsy Chaperone features Christopher Spencer as the Man in the Chair. Spencer was last seen in the national tour of Disney's Beauty and the Beast in the role of Maurice, Belle's father. Spencer has been seen in regional productions of Ragtime, Guys and Dolls, White Christmas and Hello, Dolly! The Drowsy Chaperone's the titular character is played by Shannon Page. Page has performed regularly at the Disneyland Resort as well as Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland. In addition, she has been seen regionally in A Chorus Line (Cassie), Dames at Sea (Ruby) and Oklahoma (Laurie) and was most recently seen in A Gallery Christmas Party at the Gallery Theater.

The Drowsy Chaperone marks Lee Kociela returns to the Theatre Out stage playing Robert, the handsome, yet somewhat dimwitted love interest in the show. Kociela was first seen in Theatre Out's inaugural production of Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story in 2006 and the next year in Mr. Charles?and the world premiere of Michael Van Duzer's The History of Gay Theatre in Something More Than 60 Seconds. Most recently, fans of Orange County Theatre saw Kociela in Passion Play at The Chance.

The cast also includes Theatre Out newcomers Nicola Barrett (Janet), Miguel Cardenas (Aldolpho),Brandon Kallan (Ensemble), Paloma Armijo (Ensemble) and Joey Ruggiero (George) alongside Theatre Out alumni performers Richard Comeau (Underling), Sherry Domerego (Mrs. Tottendale),Larua DeLano (Trix), Tina Nguyen (Kitty), Luis Ochoa and Julian Ronquillo (The Gangsters), Matt Carvin (Mr. Feldzieg) and Alexis Stansfield (Ensemble).

The Drowsy Chaperone features original choreography by Lindsay Martin. Gabrielle Maldonado is the Musical Director. The lighting design is by Joy Bice. Costumes and set for this production have been designed by Baital and Carnevale.

Tickets to The Drowsy Chaperone can be purchased online at www.TheatreOut.com or by visiting the Theatre Box Office 1 hour prior to curtain time, as available. Theatre Out is located at 402 W. 4th Street in Santa Ana, California. The Drowsy Chaperone performs tonight, June 6, 2014 - July 26, 2014 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm. With Sunday 2:00 pm performances on June 22, July 6 and July 13. All tickets are $25. Group discounts for groups of 10 or more are available by calling the Box Office at (714) 220-7069.

Theatre Out was founded in 2006 as an at-large company dedicated to performing theatrical works relevant to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans community throughout Orange County with an emphasis in sharing the LGBT experience with allies and the greater community. Theatre Out has received national and international attention for their work, receiving numerous awards for excellence in production. The founders of Theatre Out have been featured on the front page of The Orange County Register and were featured in the OC Weekly's Best Of 2012 issue as part of the "Dirty Dozen".

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