Kicking off its 81st season, the Dramateurs at The Barn Playhouse proudly present the hilarious “musical within a comedy” THE DROWSY CHAPERONE! The show opened to enthusiastic audiences on May 1 and continues through May 16.
To chase his blues away, a modern day musical theatre addict known simply as “Man in Chair” drops the needle on his favorite LP – the 1928 musical comedy THE DROWSY CHAPERONE. From the crackle of his hi-fi, the uproariously funny 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 infectious love of The Drowsy Chaperone speaks to anyone who has ever been transported by the theatre.
Paul Recupero of Wayne directs a versatile cast of 16. Barbara Newberry and Konnie Stark music direct, with Tom Stumme as choreographer and Brittany Adams as assistant director. The intricate set was designed by Rusty Muglia, with Chris Exley as the master carpenter.
The role of Man in Chair is played by Kevin Walters of Jenkintown. Becca Schiel of Conshohocken plays the bride, Janet. Mark Snyder, Jr., of Reading portrays her tap-dancing, roller-skating groom. Real life couple Barbara and Michael Sherman of Philadelphia play the tipsy Chaperone and her ill-fitted suitor, the bumbling Aldolpho, respectively. Doug Smith of Jeffersonville plays Feldzieg, Janet’s harried producer pursued by two slick gangsters, Ryan Neff of Collegeville and Jennifer Smith of East Norriton, as well as his adorably dimwitted chorine Kitty, played by Laura Watson-Shoeman of Norristown. Phoenixville residents Jennifer Dinan and Paul Campbell-Trimbur portray the absent-minded wedding hostess and her deadpan butler, respectively. The remainder of the cast include Kenneth Olin as the best man George and Jasmin Wiley-Harris as Trix the Aviatrix (both of Norristown), as well as Sami Cojocariu, Brandon Commo, and Kit Niesen, who play servants, reporters, and some pretty extravagant monkeys.
The Barn Playhouse is located at the corner of Rittenhouse Blvd. and Christopher Lane in Jeffersonville, with free on-site parking. Tickets can be purchased online at the theatre’s website, over the phone or at the door, and run $19, with a $2 discount for seniors over 63 and children under 12. Remaining performance dates are May 8, 9, 15 and 16, at 8:00 pm. Don’t miss out on this exuberant, laugh-a-minute production!
Theater/Organization The Dramateurs at the Barn
Theater/Organization Website: http://www.barnplayhouse.org
Theater/Organization Address: Rittenhouse Blvd. & Christopher Lane Jeffersonville, Pennsylvania 19403 (Map It)
Theater/Organization Phone: (610) 539-2276
