Photo Flash: SCERA's THE DROWSY CHAPERONE Begins Tonight

The Tony Award-winning musical comedy "The Drowsy Chaperone," is anything but drowsy with its energetic cast, charming script, lively music and a clever play-within-a-play approach that has been described as "a love letter to musical theatre." This nostalgic spoof of a 1920''s song and dance extravaganza will play tonight, April 18 to May 10 at 7:30 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at the SCERA Center for the Arts, 745 South State, Orem. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

David Smith is directing and choreographing the 20-person cast in a riotous musical romp that includes a pampered Broadway starlet about to wed, her tipsy chaperone, a producer bent on sabotage, a Latin lover, a ditsy chorus girl and some gangsters doubling as pastry chefs.

The narrator, known only as the Man in the Chair, is a lonely musical theater fan who listens to a recording of his favorite 1920''s musical on the turntable - a musical called "The Drowsy Chaperone." As he listens, his small apartment transforms as the musical literally bursts to life in his mind - and in his living room for the audience to see. Mayhem ensues with a silly, but satisfying tale full of surprises. As a show-within-a-show, the audience listens to the musical by way of an old LP record but Man in Chair inserts personal comedic commentary and his huge knowledge of theatrical trivia to enhance the story.

The set, designed by M''Liss Tolman, facilitates the show-within-a-show concept, with characters coming out of furniture pieces in the Man in Chair''s apartment - the refrigerator, bookshelf, wardrobe, murphy bed and windows.

Smith has a particular fondness for SCERA, because it was there where he began dating the woman he would marry when they both performed in "Oklahoma." He later played the lead with her in "Pride and Prejudice," was one of The Plaids in "Plaid Tidings" and received the invitation to direct while serving as music director for the "Shrek," also at SCERA.

Major roles are played by Erin Brown and Michael Shepherd as the bride and bridegroom, Janet and Robert; Delayne Dayton as Janet''s tipsy chaperone; and Wes Tolman as Latin lover Aldolpho. Assisting Smith are Jeremy Showgren as music director, M''Liss Tolman as set designer, Elizabeth Griffiths as light designer and Kelsey Seaver as costume designer.

The play is based on the life of a real person: the bride in the show is patterned after Janet Van de Graff, who is from Utah. She and Canadian actor, Robert Martin, were getting married, and the wedding party wrote a show for them. After rewrites and reworking, it made it to Broadway where it won five Tony Awards, as well as seven Drama Desk Awards.

Reserved-seat tickets at $12 for adult and $10 for children (age 3-11), senior citizens (age 65+) and students (w/ID). Tickets are available online at www.scera.org by calling (801) 225-ARTS, or at the main office at SCERA Center, open 10am-6pm weekdays and Saturdays from 12Noon-6pm. A group rate of $6 each is available to non-profit, educational or church groups of 20 or more purchased in advance.

Pictured: Pete Widtfeldt of CanIGetACopy.com