I'm going a 2nd time on December 3rd and taking a friend who reminds me very much of "The Man in The Chair". I'm gonna have to write down some of the great one-liners in the show...
"It does what a musical is supposed to do; it takes you to another world. And it gives you a little tune to carry in your head. Something to take you away from the dreary horrors of the real world. A little something for when you're feeling blue. You know?"
In order to market this show correctly, the emphasis should be placed on the humor rather on the "old-fashioned" aspects of the show. The show needs to be marketed to the audiences who have made DRS a hit. Drowsy is a MUCH better than show than DRS(on many levels). DRS, however, has a lot of off-color humor which is very "in" nowadays.
Theatre buffs will go see this show anyway. The marketing needs to target those people who are not theatre mavens.
"It does what a musical is supposed to do; it takes you to another world. And it gives you a little tune to carry in your head. Something to take you away from the dreary horrors of the real world. A little something for when you're feeling blue. You know?"
Maybe I'm naive, but I don't think NY audiences are cynical at all. I think they simply have seen it all and are tired of the same ol' crap that gets foisted onto them because some producer is trying to reach "the widest possible audience." IOW, NY audiences are sophisticated. It's not that they are cynical, it's they SEE THROUGH cynicism. Cynical is stringing together a bunch of pointless, witless songs with some haggard, dashed-off book playing to the lowest common denominator.
Chaperone is smart. The moment the lead character begins to speak (in the dark), "I hate the theatre," he begins voicing every complaint you ever had about how cynical and unartful and UNFUN most shows are these days as they bend over backwards trying to pretend to be fun. This is a show written by and for true musical comedy lovers. From the first moment, I knew I was in good hands.
Could it be improved? Well, of course! This is its first really full-blown, Broadway-sized treatment. But the little things that need tweaking are minor. This is a ship that could sail right into NY harbor untouched and be better than most of the shows on the boards now.
As for whether all audience members will "get it," who can say? I don't watch a show wondering if anyone else will get it. I watch a show to enjoy it myself on my terms. I do believe that this is a true theatre-lovers dream come true. I want New Yorkers to see it because I think they will see themselves up there on that stage and, like me, will think this show was written for THEM.
New York audiences are going to fall in love with Drowsy Chaperone.
It gets to the very heart of why they love theatre.
I think this show is going to work on two levels. There are several posters here already who don't seem to fully "get" how special it is (the way it's presented). That seems to be okay through, really, because they all seem to say they enjoy the show as well. A fun night at the theatre, etc. I hope this will be the same reaction that your "average Joe Tourist" will have. Then there are the people who are extremely passionate about musicals and theatre in general, and this show is going to take them to a level rarely reached when seeing a show these days. This is who the show was created for in the first place.
I'm just happy it seems to work on both levels. Some will fully enjoy it, others will be swept away by it. Either way, it's a win-win situation.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
You make a good point. "Chaperone" is filled with "insider" stuff that true lovers of musical theatre will get. But what's remarkable is that it doesn't play like a "we're better than you are because we love theatre better than you do" type of show. The lead character does express contempt for certain things that he feels "passes" as theatre today, but it's all in good fun.
His character isn't drawn as some society snob who looks down his nose at the "unwashed." On the contrary, he's a guy in a dingy apartment. His life is kind of sad. His record player is more like a life raft in a world that he feels has passed him by. When he disappears into the world of "Chaperone," it's because he must. He's not Truman Capote telling you how much better he is than you. He's the guy upstairs who can't quite pay the rent, hates it when the phone rings, has issues with his mother, can't hold onto a lover, and wears a frayed sweater -- and you want to hug him and tell him it's all going to be okay.
If I hadn't enjoyed the show more the second time around, though, than the first, I'd be more worried about spoilers. One of the great delights of seeing the show was anticipating what I had seen the time before.
>i really feel like this is going to become my favorite show ever.
Obviously, anything can be overhyped until it becomes a disappointment, so I hope this doesn't happen. But I can't contain my enthusiasm. And it really made me happy to know that it was better the second time around. That told me that it's something that maybe can't be spoiled. That the delight is not necessarily only in the surprises, but in the playing.
I just saw it today, it was great, very funny. The singing was infectious, and all-in-all it was a very good show. Sutton was amazing, and everyone was spot-on with the comedy. I loved it and highly suggest anyone who can see to go see it.