Drowsy Chaperone Premier — Page 3

PitPro2004--- you will have PLENTY to update with Beth Leavel's site. This is going to garner her a LOT of attention for some time to come.

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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.

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several of the reviews have been great - i'm SO excited for it to come to new york!

another possible tony nomination for sutton? fabulous!

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.

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.

Sure. We can do a spoiler thread. I'd love to.

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 am anxious to go back too, armed with what I know. I am sure there is so much more to discover....The mark of a truely unique piece of theater.

I heart DROWSY CHAPERONE!

Wonder what was trunkated/cut or what will be pared down.

This show I want to see...

and here is why!


Go to "Entertainment" then "Performing Arts," then the second "Drowsy" entry.



Drowsy Raves!

Updated On: 11/26/05 at 10:23 PM

Yay! So glad u enjoyed it...keep spreading the word!