DEKALB, ILL, August 9, 2022 – Stage Coach Players (SCP) presents the new musical-comedy within a comedy, The Drowsy Chaperone. The production tells the story of a musical about the wedding of an oil tycoon to a Broadway starlet in the 1920’s. The show, directed by Steven Meerdink, is envisioned through the eyes – and apartment – of a character only known as ‘Man in Chair.’ The Drowsy Chaperone runs for two weekends at Stage Coach Players’ Theatre in DeKalb starting Thursday, August 18.
The Drowsy Chaperone, with book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar and music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, is a hilarious send-off of American musical comedies of the 1920’s. It is a wildly funny ride that includes high-energy, show-stopping production numbers. Sandra Josef is the musical director with Meerdink choreographing most of the dance numbers with Melissa Rosenberg choreographing the tap number.
In a melancholy mood, Man in Chair (Greg Anderson, Lend Me A Tenor) reminisces about his favorite 1920’s musical, The Drowsy Chaperone. He puts on the original cast recording and shortly his dreary apartment is changed into the bright and colorful scene that is The Drowsy Chaperone, and all of its colorful characters come brilliantly to life! They include the bride, Janet Van De Graaff, (Anaya Evans, Elf) and her bridegroom, Robert Martin (Brock Demeter, Something Rotten!) Then there’s the titular character, Janet’s Chaperone, (Terri Crain Goodman, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street).
Adolpho is played by Patrick Murphy (The Producers), and Mrs. Tottendale is played by Kristin Madden (Little Shop of Horrors). The rest of the cast includes Joe Billquist, David Dobes, Taylor Dobes, Zack Eckhardt, Autumn Evans, Lily Johnson, Joel Ledbetter, Grant Milam, Brooke Montavon, Mike Scorzo, and AJ Smith.
When asked what audiences should look forward to when coming to see The Drowsy Chaperone, Meerdink said, they should expect to have a delightful and carefree evening. “Audiences should expect to be taken on a whimsical journey full of fun, silliness, outstanding talent, enjoyable music, and amusing dancing.”
Crain Goodman offered that The Drowsy Chaperone provides plenty of over-the-top, farcical fun. She went on to say, “It’s an evening of pure fun and laughs.” Anderson added that it never takes itself too seriously.
Meerdink said that he was the child in his room listening to records, “Making up stories and using my imagination to take me to other remarkable places. The ‘Man in Chair’ uses his imagination to bring his favorite musical to life and escape the ‘seriousness’ of the real world for a bit.” Anderson, who plays The Man in the Chair, says his character, “Loves the show and wants to tell the audience all about it.”
The Drowsy Chaperone is sponsored by Paw Lickin’ Goods located on Route 23 in Sycamore. Performances are August 18 – 20, 2022 and August 25 – August 27, 2022, with a curtain time of 7:30 p.m. along with Sunday matinees on August 21 and August 28, 2022, with a curtain time of 2:00. Tickets are $20 each or $18 for seniors and children aged 13 and under. Tickets are currently on sale through the box office phone at 815-758-1940. To purchase tickets, visit our online website at www.stagecoachplayers.com. You can also call the SCP box office at 815-758-1940. The box office will open Sunday, August 14, 2022.
Thank you for being understanding as SCP navigates COVID-19 guidelines. For this production, masks are suggested but not required. If the state of Illinois guidelines change, our guidelines will change also. Thank you for helping us keep our patrons, cast and crew safe.
