TMP Hosts THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, 1/21-2/13

Tacoma Musical Playhouse presents another regional premiere this season with the Tony Award-winning new musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, featuring the hilarious story of a lonely guy, his love of old musicals (and hatred of new ones) and special fondness for one particular madcap 1920s musical which then materializes inside his tiny NYC apartment...dance numbers and all!

The "Man in the Chair" (played by TMP Artistic Director Jon Douglas Rake) talks us through his all-time favorite recording to "...disappear for a while into the decadent world of the 1920s when the champagne flowed, the caviar chilled and all the world was a party!" What unfolds is a mix of a 1920s jazz musical, vaudeville stylings and silent film actors, with all of the colorful characters, nutty scenarios and memorable music fitting to the time. This comical show-within-a-show has quickly become a TMP staff favorite, and features an extraordinarily talented cast of singers, dancers and comic actors from throughout the Puget Sound region, including Cherisse Martinelli, John Kelleher, John B. Cooper, Nancy Hebert, Lark Moore, Phil Lacey, Mauro Bozzo and many more.

The Drowsy Chaperone runs for 14 performances January 21-February 13, 2011. It plays Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm, with two additional matinee (2 pm) performances scheduled for February 5th and 12th. All performances take place at Tacoma Musical Playhouse, 7116 6th Avenue in Tacoma. All seating for TMP Mainstage and TCMT productions is reserved, so advance purchase is strongly recommended. Ticket prices range from $20-$27, and a Group rate is available for groups of 10 or more. The Drowsy Chaperone is approved for all ages of theater-goers, but parents are encouraged to attend TMP's FREE preview presentation, Behind the Curtain! at TMP on Sunday, January 16 at 7 pm for more information about this show. For tickets or more information, please visit www.tmp.org or call the TMP Box Office at 253-565-6867.