About the work
The Drowsy Chaperone is a musical by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison (music and lyrics) with a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, premiered on Broadway in 2006. This affectionate parody of 1920s musical comedies won five Tony Awards, including Best Score and Best Book.
Plot
A lonely, unnamed musical fan—"Man in Chair"—puts on the record of his favourite 1920s musical to cheer himself up. The fictional show The Drowsy Chaperone then comes to life in his living room: a silly comedy of errors about a Broadway diva who wants to give up her career for love, her bridegroom, a desperate producer, and the title's perpetually tipsy chaperone. Again and again the narrator interrupts with commentary and anecdotes.
Cultural significance
The Drowsy Chaperone is a witty homage to the classic musical and at the same time a tender reflection on why people love musical theatre. The figure of the "Man in Chair" makes the work a meta-theatrical love letter to the genre itself. Born from modest Canadian beginnings, it became a critics' and audience favourite and a favourite of theatre groups wishing to celebrate their own enthusiasm for the musical.