Hale Centre Theatre Opens 2016-2017 Season with THE DROWSY CHAPERONE

The Hale Centre Theatre in Gilbert opens its 2016-2017 season of powerhouse musicals, outrageous comedies and tastefully clean shows with the Broadway smash hit The Drowsy Chaperone. A hilarious satire on 1920s musicals, The Drowsy Chaperone encompasses classic comical elements including mistaken identities, bumbling '20s gangsters disguised as pastry chefs, a puffed-up Broadway producer, a stiff-lipped butler, a ditzy dowager and a tipsy chaperone. The fun starts Aug. 26 and runs through Oct. 8.

Creating a show-within-a-show, an asocial Broadway fanatic imaginatively transforms his dingy New York apartment into a fantastic theatrical set as he listens to a recording of his favorite fictional show, The Drowsy Chaperone. Larger-than-life characters materialize in glitzy costumes, engaging in witty repartee and singing flapper-era songs featuring sparkling music and clever lyrics.

The Drowsy Chaperone garnered five Tony Awards and seven Drama Desk Awards when it played for 674 performances on Broadway. Major productions were also mounted in London, Toronto and Los Angeles, followed by two highly successful American tours.

In the Hale's season-opening production, noted international actor Tim Paul Fiscus assumes the role of the Man in Chair, the narrator of the comedy in whose apartment the action takes place. Kathi Osborne, a New York native and veteran of more than 500 shows, movies and other appearances, deftly performs the tipsy and hilarious Chaperone. Hale Theatre veteran Mark

Kleinman has the coveted role of the snooty Broadway producer, while ever-popular director and choreographer Cambrian james is in charge of the entire production. Lincoln Wright reprises his post as music director for this production.

Tickets for The Drowsy Chaperone are available at the Hale Theatre box office, located at 50 West Page Avenue in downtown Gilbert. Tickets are priced between $18 and $30. Season tickets for all ten musicals and comedies are also available. You can also visit online at www.HaleTheatreArizona.com or call for tickets at 480-497-1181.