The Drowsy Chaperone is an unabashed celebration of kitschy entertainment. A loving send-up of musical theatre, Drowsy features a flimsy plot, two-dimensional stock characters, chintzy vaudeville sequences, wise-guy lingo, dream ballets, spit-takes, and a deus ex machina. At its core, The Drowsy Chaperone is an affirmation of entertainment for its own sake.
While the musical itself would be a fun diversion on its own, it’s the framing device that elevates The Drowsy Chaperone’s pastiche. The Man In Chair represents our innate desire for entertainment, joy, and distraction. His neuroses and melancholy speak to our anxieties. The Man In Chair’s love for his record vindicates the guilty pleasure.
It seems right that a Jazz Age musical should evoke a kind of nostalgia for our narrator, even though Man In Chair was not alive to experience the 20s. It isn’t by accident that the fictional world of The Drowsy Chaperone is set in 1928. The Man In Chair — and presumably the audience — knows what happens the following year, when this world comes crashing down. The golden age never was the present age.
This production of The Drowsy Chaperone is so much an extension of the enthusiasm, commitment, and hilarity of a very talented group of students. I have been so impressed by their dedication and skill in presenting these wacky characters with heart. I hope The Drowsy Chaperone makes you laugh and leaves you with a little tune to take with you as you stumble along life’s funny journey. Enjoy the show!
-Morgan Knight
Director of Theatre, SPFHS
