A couple weeks ago, Northern Highlands put on their annual musical. This year, the theatre crew put on a production of The Drowsy Chaperone by Bob Martin and Don McKeller. As an avid theatre geek, I’ve seen every production that the school has put on (besides Godspell in my sophomore year, I had no interest in seeing that). I can happily say that this production was my favorite out of all the musicals the school has done.
The set up of the musical is different: A man in a chair (he remains unnamed) tells the story of his all time favorite musical from the past, The Drowsy Chaperone. In this regard, the show already displays an nontradional way of story telling, echoing a modern tenet in literature. The man takes the audience to a blast to the past, telling the story of a couple’s wedding. Right off the bat, the audience can see that this show isn’t meant to be taken too seriously – as stated by the narrating man. The story progresses through a few songs which introduce a majority of the cast. The story begins to go sour, as it’s revealed that the pastry boys are actually gangsters who were placed there to put pressure on Mr. Feldzieg to stop the wedding. Even though this premise may seem a little dark, the characters in the show are all their own version of ridiculousness, keeping all scenes very light and funny. The narrator stays on the side of the stage the whole, adding in funny commentary from time to time. If the audience look over the narrator during the performance, they would see him mouthing along to the songs, or doing a little dance in his chair.
The narrator acts as we would, as one in the audience. Although the narrator’s favorite character is the drowsy chaperone, my favorite character had to be Aldolpho, the sexual deviant from Europe. His character is by far the funniest character. He’s portrayed as a slight bumbling idiot, with much pride and aura of confidence. His song, “I am Aldolpho” is a whole song stating that he is name, is in fact, Aldolpho. His lines are borderline raunchy, which is way many of his lines were censored in this version of the show (since it’s a high school production). While I wish the school could have left the uncensored version, Aldolpho and the rest of the cast are still hilarious.
The narrator throughout the whole show, reinforces his love for the The Drowsy Chaperone. The audience can’t help but ask, is there more to why he loves the show? It’s eventually revealed that his wife had left him, and he often feels blue. This record of the play brings him to a happier place, something to put on whenever he is blue. I find that many people who enjoy music, books, or plays can relate to a feeling. Art and literature allows for us to escape reality for just a few moments. We get wrapped up in plot, music, and characters until we are ripped back to reality, just like the narrator. The medium or piece we love may not be a perfect piece – as the narrator states multiple times about the Drowsy Chaperone – but it still means a lot to him. As long as the medium brings joy, that’s all that really matters.
You may not be able to watch the school’s production of the show anymore, but I highly recommend listening to the soundtrack or better yet, find another production of the musical to watch. If you still don’t have an interest in this show after what I’ve written, take a moment to listen to your favorite song in general. Escape reality every once in a while.
Ink Blot Thoughts 
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