Palmetto Center for the Arts Presents the Tony Award Winning Musical The Drowsy Chaperone COLUMBIA, S.C.- The Palmetto Center for the Arts (PCA) Theatre Department will present the Tony Award winning musical The Drowsy Chaperone Thursday Oct. 20 through Saturday Oct 22 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, Oct. 23, 2016 at 3 pm at the Richland School District Two Auditorium. Tickets are $5 for students and $7 for adults and may be purchased at the door or online at www.districtauditorium.org.
Winner of five Tony Awards, including Best Book and Best Original Score, The Drowsy Chaperone is a loving sendup of the Jazz Age musical, featuring one show-stopping song and dance number after another. With the houselights down, a man in a chair appears on stage and puts on his favorite record: the cast recording of a fictitious 1928 musical. The recording comes to life and The Drowsy Chaperone begins as the man in the chair looks on. Mix in two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan and the brides “drowsy” chaperone, and you have the ingredients for an evening of madcap delight and surprisingly inspiring message.
The cast is comprised of over 20 current PCA and RNE students, including Nicole Siebles as The Drowsy Chaperone, Catherine Kelley as Mrs. Tottendale, Jacob Wilkinson as Underling, Darius Adamson as Robert Martin, Darius Darby as George, Corin Wiggins as Feldzieg and Sierra McDaniel as Kitty. Amani Jamison and Marley Suber portray Gangster 1 and 2, with Ajai Cave as Aldopho, Jazmine Rivera as Janet Van De Graff and Jessica Geiger as Trix. Also featured are Shatnee Thomas, Rebekah Johnson and Ethena Lighty as Reporters and Darius Lee as the Superintendent, with Shatnee Thomas also serving as the production’s dance assistant. Additionally, the show features a large ensemble including Jamie Collins, Hannah Shimmel, Trenity Reese, Gloria Smith, Kaysiaunah White, Trey Weaver, Justin Castro, and Dennis Cheeks.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to do such a challenging show,” says director JoAnna Chriswell. “The comic timing is crucial and we love a challenge. I’m impressed with the research and work the students have put into this production. Throughout the process they have learned a lot about the time period and are being exposed to a style of performance that is not only challenging and unique, but also entertaining.”
The Drowsy Chaperone is directed by JoAnna Chriswell, with musical direction by Dr. Greg Boatwright, choreography by Nicole Czekalski and technical direction by David Mitchell and Tony Fling. Hailed by New York Magazine as "The Perfect Broadway Musical," The Drowsy Chaperone is a masterful meta-musical, poking fun at all the tropes that characterize the musical theatre genre, but also a tribute to musicals. With music & lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison and book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, PCA’s production of The Drowsy Chaperone is produced by special arrangement with Music Theatre International.
The Palmetto Center for the Arts is recognized by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as a Creative Ticket National School of Distinction. As the Fine Arts Magnet for Richland School District Two, PCA serves students in the areas of dance, music, theatre and visual arts. For more information on the PCA please visit www.palmettocenterforthearts.org or call (803) 699-2800 ext. 79833.