Wake Up Florida! 'The Drowsy Chaperone' Opens January 1st

(Photos by Joan Marcus)

The Five-Time Tony Award^{®-Winning Musical,}

^{THE DROWSY CHAPERONE}

^{Kicks off the new year at Broward Center January 1 – 13, 2007 Presented by BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA – FT. LAUDERDALE AND FLORIDA THEATRICAL ASSOCIATION}

^{The celebrated musical of the 2006 Broadway season, The Drowsy Chaperone, a completely original musical comedy, is coming to Ft. Lauderdale at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts from Tuesday, January 1 – Sunday January 13 presented by Stanford Broadway Across America – Ft. Lauderdale and Florida Theatrical Association.}

^{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.}  

^{Performance times are Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8pm, and matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2pm with additional performances Sunday, January 6 at 7:30pm and Wednesday, January 9 at 2pm. Tickets for the Fort Lauderdale engagement of The Drowsy Chaperone range from $23.00 - $67.00 not including applicable handling or service charges. Purchase tickets only from the following authorized ticket sellers at Broadway Across America – Ft. Lauderdale, Broward Center AutoNation Box Office or Ticketmaster. Tickets can be purchased in person at Broward Center's Auto Nation Box Office or by phone and internet at 954-462-0222 or www.browardcenter.org, Tickets are also available though Ticketmaster by phones at 954-523-3309 in Broward, 305-358-5885 in Dade, and 561-966-3309 in Palm Beach or at www.ticketmaster.com and in person at Ticketmaster outlets. Orders for groups of 20 or more may be placed by calling the Broward Center at 954-462-0222 or Broadway Across America at 1-800-6GROUPS (647-6877).}

^{The Drowsy Chaperone tells the story of a modern day musical theater addict known simply as "Man in Chair". To chase his blues away he drops the needle on his favorite LP – the 1928 musical comedy, The Drowsy Chaperone. From the crackle of his hi-fi, the musical magically bursts to life on-stage telling the tale of a pampered Broadway starlet who wants to give up show business to get married, her producer who sets out to sabotage the nuptials, her chaperone, the debonair groom, the dizzy chorine, the Latin lover and a pair of gangsters who double as pastry chefs. Man in Chair's love of The Drowsy Chaperone speaks to anyone who has ever been transported by the theater.} 

^{Canadian actor Jonathan Crombie, who is widely known for playing Gilbert Blythe in the popular "Anne of Green Gables" movies, plays the musical-loving Man in Chair.}

^{Georgia Engel ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Everybody Loves Raymond") will reprise her role of Mrs. Tottendale for the tour. Joining them are Cliff Bemis (Feldzieg), Andrea Chamberlain (Janet Van De Graaff), Robert Dorfman (Underling), Fran Jaye (Trix), Mark Ledbetter (Robert Martin), Marla Mindelle (Kitty), James Moye (Aldolpho), Nancy Opel (The Drowsy Chaperone), Paul Riopelle (Gangster #1), Peter Riopelle (Gangster #2), and Richard Vida (George). Rounding out the cast are Kevin Crewell, Taylor Farrell, Tiffany Haas, Alicia Irving, James Patterson, Chuck Rea, Mason Roberts and Jennifer Swiderski.}

^{The Drowsy Chaperone received more Tony Awards® than any other musical of the 2006 season, including Best Book (Bob Martin and Don McKellar); Original Score (Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison), Costume Design (Gregg Barnes) and Scenic Design (David Gallo). The creative team for The Drowsy Chaperone also includes lighting design by Ken Billington (Chicago) and Brian Monahan, sound design by Acme Sound Partners, orchestrations by Larry Blank, dance and incidental music arrangements by Glen Kelly, and music director/vocal arrangements by Phil Reno. The Drowsy Chaperone is produced by Kevin McCollum, Roy Miller, Bob Boyett, Stephanie McClelland, Barbara Freitag and Jill Furman.   Visit www.drowsychaperone.com for more information.}  

 ^{FALL IN LOVE TODAY!  ADOPT A PET FROM YOUR LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTER}