Drowsy Chaperone Critique

The musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone”, was unfortunately unfamiliar to me until I watched it at Charlotte Country Day School. The only previous knowledge I had of this show was the short description I read online. However, I feel that the element of surprise made this musical even better. “The Drowsy Chaperone” was absolutely lovely from start to finish and I am especially pleased that Country Day’s production was the first rendition I saw. There are so many aspects of this show that I love. As the lights die down, the show immediately grasps the audience in with its surprisingly witty and relatable dialogue from one of the shows main characters, Man in the Chair, played by the fantastic John Ryan Hecimovich. A monologue ensues including one line that pretty much describes my experience watching the performance. “That’s just what this show is, fun.” Here are some words I would use to describe this show: transportive, engaging, vibrant, colorful, necessarily over the top, wildly entertaining, comedic, at times ridiculous, memorable, meaningful, and the list could go on and on. One way that I felt particularly transported was the

When someone goes to see a musical, the main thing they expect to hear is a catchy tune with beautiful vocals. Country Day School’s “The Drowsy Chaperone” had just that. A few performers who really stood out vocally were Alice Whisnant as Janet Van De Graaf, Alana Markel as Drowsy Chaperone, Chelsea Starr Jones as Trix the Aviatrix (who I wished we got to see more of), and Virginia Hart Touma as Kitty. These actresses and more accompanied some very upbeat and exciting songs, some of which were in my head for the rest of the day. My favorite was “Toledo Surprise”, with the exceptionally funny gangsters played by Charlie Gorelick and Hall McCurdy, however the song that impressed me the most was “Cold Feets”. Not only did Gus Benson and Keaton Prevette accompany the song very passionately, but they tap danced fabulously