The Drowsy Chaperone
at Bishop Ireton High School

Reviewed on March 21, 2015

Zoe Le Menestrel
McLean High School
Submitted for publication to Washington Post - Alex/Arl

A cardigan-donning, mousy-looking man sits alone in an orange armchair, spouting witty one-liners and biting criticisms. This scene is about as far as you can get from the grand opening numbers of traditional musical comedies, but as the "Man in Chair" slides a recording of his favorite musical, the fictional The Drowsy Chaperone, onto his phonograph, the stage suddenly overflows with glamorous characters wearing glitzy costumes, bringing the Roaring Twenties to the man's no-longer lonely apartment. So begins Bishop Ireton High School's captivating production of The Drowsy Chaperone.

This hit musical debuted in Toronto, Canada, in 1998, but made it to the Great White Way in 2006. There, the gut-busting book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar and the toe-tapping music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison garnered the production five Tony Awards. Its show within a show premise parodies the American musicals of the 1920's, and the satirical nature of this comedy was utterly embraced by the cast and crew of Bishop Ireton.

The commonly heard maxim, "there are no small parts, only small actors" was definitively proven by standout actors Joey Ledonio and Abby Giuseppe. Though they played the supporting roles of Aldolpho and The Drowsy Chaperone, respectively, they utilized their stage time so fully, their performances became unforgettable. Ledonio took on the part of the "famed Latin lover" to perfection: his clichéd accent, hilariously crafted facial expressions, and clumsiness had the audience gasping with laughter. He also possessed an incredible voice; his technical flawlessness and charismatic flair were put on display in the crowd-favorite solo "Aldolpho". Giuseppe, meanwhile, had unsurpassed comedic physicality, demonstrated through her drunken antics and mocking facials.

Another highlight of the night was Kyra Smith as the self-absorbed Broadway star Janet van de Graff. Smith showed off her superb vocals and first-rate dance skills in the aptly-named number "Show Off". Through her inexplicably quick costume changes, unbelievably high kicks, and soaring lyricism, Smith made this song one of the most enchanting of the evening. Two other actors who deserve commendation are Ethan Ladd and Alek Rodriguez as Gangsters 1 and 2, who hilariously pretend to be pastry chefs. Their baked good puns, smooth dance moves, and exaggerated New York accents made them a charming addition to the show. Lastly, Joseph Green as "Man in Chair" was an adept narrator. Green made the most of his clever witticisms, and was often the catalyst behind the laughter that consistently erupted from the audience.

While the cast boasted a multitude of talented performers, they were only elevated by the equally well-done handiwork of the tech crews. The set was particularly stunning. Its apartment set-up was professional, and was enhanced with a Broadway motif featured throughout. Though the walls appeared immobile, this preconception was shattered when a life-size single engine propeller plane was wheeled on at the end of Act 2. Although the band's volume occasionally overshadowed that of the actors, the sound crew should be praised for the otherwise easily comprehensible production. Props were skillfully done, as everything from record sleeves to an old-fashioned sun umbrella were visually pleasing and appropriately period.

Overall, Bishop Ireton's The Drowsy Chaperone provided a night of unadulterated fun, which lent truth to the words "Man in Chair" speaks about musicals: "It takes you to another world and it... it gives you a little tune to carry in your head for...for...when you're feeling blue, you know? As we stumble along on life's funny journey. As we stumble along into the blue."

Katie Wattendorf
Hayfield Secondary School
Submitted for publication to Washington Post - Alex/Arl

The world is filled with theatre fanatics--those crazed over Cabaret, obsessed with Oklahoma, and giddy about Grease. Still, there is one man in love with a musical lost to time, a glittering slice of 1928 swallowed and forgotten under the bravado of the modern Broadway legends. Saturday night at Bishop Ireton High School, a packed audience was introduced to this man and his musical in Broadway's favorite "show-within-a-show", "The Drowsy Chaperone".

"The Drowsy Chaperone" debuted on Broadway in 2006 and quickly rose to adoration, culminating in five Tony awards including Best Original Score for the music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. The book, written by Bob Martin and Don McKeller, tells the story of the "Man in Chair" as he narrates his love for the ridiculous albeit fictional 1928 musical, "The Drowsy Chaperone". As the Man adds commentary, "The Drowsy Chaperone" is performed onstage, a swirling 1920s dream about a starlet and her wedding, gangsters posing as pastry chefs, an angered producer, a desperate showgirl, a European romancer, and a very drunk chaperone.

The highlight of Bishop Ireton's production was its array of capable and talented actors. In the leading role, Joseph Green as the Man in Chair provided a perfect balance of comedy and bittersweet sadness with his witty lines and expressive facials. Also leading the show, Kyra Smith as the glamorous actress Janet van der Graff was glittering and charming, capturing the aura of the Gilded Age show girl with her impressive vocals and even better dance skills. Opposite Smith was Brenden Peifer as her fiancé, Robert Martin. Martin's vocal tone and stage presence added to the dynamic duo he shared with Smith.

Still, the clear standout performance was given by Joey Ledonio as Aldolpho, the self-proclaimed "King of Romance". Ledonio's portrayal of the dimwitted European was perfect, complete with precise comedic timing, facial expressions, and stylized movements. His song, accurately titled "Aldolpho" was followed by a roar from the audience, equal parts laughter and applause. Also an audience favorite was Abby Giuseppe in the title role of the Drowsy Chaperone. Her vocal quality and endless energy lit up every scene she was in.

Adding to the sparkling twenties spectacle was the prevalence of impressive tech aspects. Colored lighting varied from scene to scene depending on the mood, while spotlights lit up the leads. A massive set with swinging double doors, a bed that slid out of the wall, and a bench that lowered from the sky accurately created the atmosphere of the whimsical mansion in which the story takes place. At the end of the show, the mansion splits in half to reveal a stage-sized, rolling biplane. On par with the impressive set were the numerous impressive costumes, from shimmery dresses for Janet to bathing suits for the gangsters, the variety and execution of the costumes was visually appealing and accurate to the time period.

As the Man in Chair says, "I love it so much... it does what a musical is supposed to do: it takes you to another world, and it gives a tune to carry with you in your head when you're feeling blue." And Bishop Ireton High School's production of "The Drowsy Chaperone" did just that. Dazzling costumes, a set that reached the sky, a pirouetting leading lady and a hilarious supporting pair rose to the challenge and swept the audience away, leaving them laughing to the very end.

Mallory Astrow
West Springfield High School
Submitted for publication to Insidenova - Sun Gazette

Mix-ups, mayhem, and a gay wedding! Crazy antics lit up the stage in Bishop Ireton's production of "The Drowsy Chaperone" created by Bob Martin, Don McKellar, Lisa Lambert, and Greg Morrison.

"The Drowsy Chaperone" was first brought to life in 1998 on the stage of The Rivoli in Toronto. It later opened on Broadway in 2006 and went on to win five of its thirteen Tony nominations including Best Original Score. Set in a cozy room in a man's apartment, "The Drowsy Chaperone" follows the story of a man who experiences anxiety, followed by non-specific sadness resulting in a state that he calls "blue." The Man in Chair takes the audience on an adventure into the dazzling world of 1920's musical theatre as he pops in a record - yes a record - of his favorite show "The Drowsy Chaperone." Occasionally stepping in to add commentary or brief anecdotes, the Man in Chair listens to the recording as the audience watches the wild plot filled with identity mix-ups, general mayhem, and an exorbitant amount of misleadingly named straight, gay weddings unfold upon the stage.

This production thrived on the entire cast's commitment to the show as a whole. No one person jumped out to grab attention. Each actor played his or her role as necessary and filled his or her place in the performance.

Joseph Green (Man in Chair) played the perfect fanboy. His actions always felt realistic to that of a Broadway nerd as he tapped his feet along to the music or even sang along. His interjections throughout the story kept the audience engaged and attentive as well as entertained. His carefully chosen moments to join the musical within the play enhanced his role as the record-listening ultra fan he was.

Many of the secondary characters had shining moments of their own, but Joey Ledonio (Aldolpho) and Abby Giuseppe (The Drowsy Chaperone) stole the show. The pair maintained excellent chemistry and played up their stylized characters effortlessly throughout. The most entertaining number in the entire production was one between the two of them as they danced and stomped about the stage singing a song all about one name: Aldolpho. With extremely precise and consistent physicality in toe, the pair shined on the stage. On the subject of power couples, Ethan Ladd (Gangster 1) and Alek Rodriguez (Gangster 2) excelled as a pair, playing off of one another nicely and feeling out the timing of jokes to land the perfect one-liners. Not only did they get reactions from the audience, but they also waited until the laughter died down so they weren't cheated of the laughs to come.

Bishop Ireton's technical team put a tremendous amount of work into the success of their production. Every prop used looked, and often was, authentic to the time period. The lighting choices often enhanced their respective scenes nicely and set the tone for the action taking place. The enormous set was the icing on the cake as it was filled with secret entrances, flipping beds, and adjustable scenery peeking through windows. Not only did the set create an incredible atmosphere, but it also broke apart quickly and easily to make way for a giant plane to land in the living room.

Holy cats! Bishop Ireton certainly wasn't an accident waiting to happen as it transported the audience into a world within a world full of spit takes, dancing monkeys, and Utah-style weddings in its production of "The Drowsy Chaperone."

Marielle Burt
McLean High School
Submitted for publication to Patch.com - Alex

As a modern day Broadway buff drops the needle on his most treasured record, we are spun back in time to the extravagant world of 1920s show biz, with sparkle-studded starlets, swanky mobsters, and mad producers. A farcical frolic through the world of early musical theatre, every minute of Bishop Ireton's "The Drowsy Chaperone" is plain good fun!

What started as a wedding gift for musical lover and performer Bob Martin and his wife soon became a Broadway phenomenon. "The Drowsy Chaperone" opened on Broadway in 2006, winning five Tony Awards and seven Drama Desk awards. With book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar and music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, it is a brilliantly crafted show within a show, within a show. The narrator, referred to as "Man in Chair," is a middle-aged oddball, nostalgic for Broadway past; missing the days when musicals were a "story and a few good songs that would take him away," he plays for the audience his favorite LP, the fictional 20s classic "The Drowsy Chaperone." As the record starts to turn, a Broadway clique of colorful personalities fills the stage: Janet, a glamorous diva leaving the theatre to marry a man she has known for a week; Richard, her debonair fiancé; Feldzeig, Janet's producer whom the mob has threatened to take out if he loses his star; Aldolpho, an emphatic European whom Feldzeig conspires with to ruin the wedding; and the drowsy chaperone whom Aldolpho seduces in a hilarious case of mistaken identify.

The droll, drunken, drowsy chaperone (Abby Giuseppe) and her suave, Spanish, seducer, Aldolpho (Joey Ledonio), were an unrivaled comic pair. The highlight of the night was the song "Aldolpho," in which Ledonio struts about the stage with Spanish flare, boasting the virtues of his name, while Giuseppe unabashedly attempts to lure him like a bullfighter with a cape. The two were a sensational couple, but each performer held the spotlight on their own. Ledonio's exaggerated physicality was hysterical, jumping two feet in the air whenever he was surprised, and vibrating his whole body with his rolled Spanish "r"s. Giuseppe, likewise, stole the scene every time she stepped on stage with her caricatured expressions and constant snark.

Other impressive performances included Joseph Green as Man in Chair, whose witty commentary, delivered with impeccable timing, always garnered a laugh, even in a monologue delivered in total darkness at the beginning of the show. Kyra Smith, as Janet, was a strong vocalist and dancer, and was the perfect vain and frivolous showgirl. The duo of gangsters disguised as pastry chefs (Ethan Ladd and Alek Rodriguez) also were wonderfully funny; their inexhaustible baking puns and macho jazz number made them audience favorites.

The show was set in the apartment of the Man in Chair, a sleek flat decked from floor to ceiling with Broadway show posters and playbills. The set not only filled the entire stage, creating striking visual impact, but also adroitly transformed to provide the settings for the show within the show. Impressively, at the end of act two, the walls of the apartment part, revealing a huge, expertly crafted airplane as the fantasy of the musical overtakes the Man in Chair's mundane reality. Costumes were impressive and specifically designed for each character, though there were some issues with time-period silhouettes.

Bishop Ireton's "The Drowsy Chaperone" had the audience erupting with laughter from before the lights came up until curtain call. Just as the Man in Chair promised, it was great story told with great songs that took the audience away.

Santiago Mallan
HB Woodlawn
Submitted for publication to Alexandria Times

"You know what I do when I'm sitting in a darkened theater, waiting for the show to begin?" asks a disembodied, nasal voice addressing the darkened theater of Bishop Ireton High School, "I pray. 'Oh, dear Lord in Heaven, please let it be a good show.'" These prayers are more than answered in Bishop Ireton's production of The Drowsy Chaperone.

The Drowsy Chaperone has humble origins. It began as a simple parody of the musical comedies of the 1920s, created for the stag party of actors Bob Martin and Janet Van De Graff. The show was a hit at the party, and the couple decided to rework it with friends Lisa Lambert, Greg Morrison, and Don McKellar into a full-length musical. The musical was first performed at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 1998, then gradually gained notoriety, reshaped and reworked over the years until it opened on Broadway in May of 2006, where it was nominated for and won several Tony Awards, including Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical.

The plot revolves around a clever play-within-a-play conceit. The show opens with the mousy Man In Chair (an antisocial broadway fanatic and trivia expert) deciding to listen to the 1928 recording of a classic musical called The Drowsy Chaperone. As he listens, the music comes to life, and the musical is performed behind his armchair. Throughout the show, focus switches between the musical, an over-the-top farce about an impending marriage, and the Man In Chair's narration and commentary on the show and its colorful actors.

Bishop Ireton's production did this complex concept justice with an incredibly professional and well-oiled performance. The set was detailed and versatile, and the costumes well-fitting and period. In keeping with the 1920s style, the show used a variety of tricky practical effects and gimmicks, which added an impressive layer on top of the already spotless tech work. The show was also particularly well-staged and choreographed.

Almost every actor delivered a standout performance. Brenden Peifer and Kyra Smith, playing the smitten soon-to-be-newlyweds in the play-within-a-play, shone with peerless triple-threat talent and charisma. The devious film producer Feldzieg (Nick Lamb) and his ditzy companion Kitty (Elizabeth Krantz) displayed commendable finesse and comedy in their performances.

Abby Giuseppe, playing the titular Drowsy Chaperone, was a force of nature on stage, staying remarkably in character and breathing life into her role as she was seduced by the devious but dimwitted Latin playboy Aldolpho (Joey Ledonio). Ledonio absolutely stole the show with his phenomenal comic timing and outstanding physicality, prompting the audience to burst out into fits of laughter and spontaneous applause. Finally, Joseph Green as the Man In Chair carried the show, dynamically guiding the audience in and out of the musical world and making the character's "non-specific sadness" tangible and moving with a professional and emotional performance.

Perfect casting, brilliant performances, notable choreography and flawless tech come together to create a night of hilarity and fun in this love letter to the musical comedy and the superfans who enjoy it.

Margaret O'Meara
West Potomac High School
Submitted for publication to The Catholic Herald

"Still, in the larger sense, in a broader sense, it's better to have lived than left, right?" Bishop Ireton High School's production of The Drowsy Chaperone was an enjoyable and refreshing look into one man's favorite Broadway musical, showing how living brings more happiness than leaving in a comical and entertaining parody of 1920s musical theater.

Written by Bob Martin and Don McKellar with lyrics and music by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, The Drowsy Chaperone opened on Broadway in 2006 and has won 5 Tony Awards and 7 Drama Desk Awards. This award winning musical comedy lets a broadway musical theater fan play his favorite musical record, The Drowsy Chaperone, an exaggeration of actors from the 1920s and a parody of theater of the past as the man in the chair commentates on the story, music, and actors of his favorite broadway show, a story of mayhem, mishaps, and a gay wedding!

Bringing a welcoming and adorable energy to the stage, Joseph Green as narrator, Man in Chair, captured the disconnected from reality character through his attitude on stage and expressions while he sat watching the show from his chair on the side of the stage. Breaking the fourth wall, Green interacted with the audience, welcoming them into his living room to enjoy his favorite musical.

With impeccable comedic timing, Joey Ledonio and Abby Giuseppe stole the show playing the exaggerated and whimsical characters of Aldolpho and the Drowsy Chaperone. Ledonio and Giuseppe, despite playing similarly outrageous personalities on stage, had perfect comedic chemistry and fed off each others energy, especially in the ridiculous song "Aldolpho." Ledonio's hilarious accent, physicality, and timing brought his character to a hyperbolic level, while Giuseppe's fantastic and flamboyant attitude was the cherry on top of this uproariously entertaining performance.

Triple threat, Kyra Smith, showed off her impressive vocal abilities and dance skills as she acted as the broadway star, Janet van de Graff, in the lively and surprising number, "Show Off." This number not only showed off the talent of the cast, but also the talent of the Bishop Ireton costume crew (Grace Burgin, Charlotte Kuhn, Becky Littlefield, and Charlotte Rodger), with three amazing and surprising costume quick changes for Smith.

Other notable performances include the dancing duo of groom and best man (Brenden Peifer and Ronie Altejar) who tapped their way through the catchy dance number "Cold Feet." The two gangsters of wordplay (Ethan Ladd and Alek Rodriguez), were noticed for their entertaining jive in the energetic and peppy cast number, "Toledo Surprise." Caroline Gant, Hanah Barnes, Katie Robertson, and Charlotte Rodger's choreography brought out the broadway pizzazz of 1920s style musicals in the cast numbers "Toledo Surprise" and "Show Off."

Set designers, Maddie Hong, Hannah Klemovitch, and Robert McCormick, created a perfectly simple backdrop for this far from simple show. The set featured changeable window views and a murphy bed that allowed for quick scene changes without having to move big set pieces. The lighting (Beth Manilla-Smith) illuminated the set in a way that did not overpower the colorful costumes on stage and matched the theme of each scene perfectly. Sound designer, Michelle Dwyer, overcame the obstacle of a loud orchestra and created a crisp and clear sound from all characters effectively.

With fourth wall breaks, spit takes, hand jives, and an aviator's plane dive, Bishop Ireton High School's production of The Drowsy Chaperone was a hilariously entertaining testament and celebration of musical theater and its nonsensical cliches, stereotypes, accents, and predictability through the eyes of an adoring fan.