This review originally appeared in an edited version in the North Bay Bohemian and Pacific Sun. Proof of vaccination with ID and masking are required to attend. ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ runs through July 31 at Andrews Hall in the Sonoma Community Center, 276 E. The Drowsy Chaperone delivers a lightweight escape for all. Sherill Peterson’s band delivers the music, Maeve Smith and Dani Beem deliver the vocals, and the entire cast deliver in the Liz Andrew-choreographed numbers. Talented North Bay regulars populate the large cast with Setzer the calm but bitingly amusing center of the on-stage storm. Director Michael Ross shows a sure comedic hand in guiding his cast in threading the needle between loving parody and outright spoof. There’s singing, dancing, comedy, colorful period costuming by Rebecca Valentino and just a wee bit of heart. The Man in Chair provides running commentary throughout the show, which also includes a staid butler (Sean O’Brien), a harried best man (Jonathan Blue) and, of course, a drowsy chaperone (Daniela Innocenti Beem).ĭespite its opening line, Chaperone is a love letter to musical theatre. ![]() Will love win out in the end? Need you ask? Under pressure from an investor and his gangsters (Rick Love, Kaikane Lavilla), the producer schemes to break things up by having a Latin Lothario (Andrew Smith) seduce Janet. Many iof the cast from “The Drowsy Chaperone”īroadway star Janet Van De Graff (Maeve Smith) seeks to give up the stage to marry the man she loves (Stephen Kanaski) much to the chagrin of her producer (Pat Barr). After first considering an escape to River City, Iowa via The Music Man, he decides to return to the decadent world of the 1920’s as presented in the classic Broadway musical The Drowsy Chaperone (an entirely fictional show.) As he plays the soundtrack, the characters from the show appear in his apartment and the audience is treated to a play-within-a-play which is an amalgam of showbiz musicals of the time. The ‘Man in Chair’ is feeling a little blue and usually finds solace by escaping into the fantasy world of Broadway. The lights come up on a gentleman (Tim Setzer) sitting in a comfy chair next to a record player surrounded by Broadway musical cast albums. He is essentially a neurotic shut-in but he is truly happy listening to his collection of soundtracks. ![]() That line, followed by a litany of complaints about modern theatre (shows are too long, actors shouldn’t interact with the audience, Elton John, etc.), is uttered in darkness by a disembodied voice. The Man In Chair is the narrator and host for the show. It’s the opening line from Sonoma Arts Live’s production of The Drowsy Chaperone. No, that’s not the long-suspected confession of a theatre critic.
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