Dreamcoat Fantasy Theatre is back, and the troupe is waking up The Drowsy Chaperone for a four-show run.
Written by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, the Tony award winning Canadian musical premiered at the 1999 Toronto Fringe Festival and went on to over 600 Broadway performances. The story centres on a lonesome musical theatre fan, dusting off some old vinyl records. When he spins his favourite, he inadvertently brings a fictitious 1928 musical to life before the audiences’ eyes. Prepare for catchy tunes and laughs aplenty.
“Our shows bring many members of our community together in a shared passion for the arts,” noted Michelina Beam, Executive Director of Dreamcoat.
Dreamcoat has been around for many yeas, and usually, the show has a lot of students in the production. This show is unique, Beam noted, as the cast consists of teens and adults – no kids this time around.
Beam noted, “The cast has been rehearsing intensively, three times a week, for the past two months, while volunteers have put in countless hours crafting costumes, sets, and props to ensure the high-quality show Dreamcoat is known for.”
Shannon Clausen, Chairperson of the Dream Coat Fantasy Theatre, detailed in a release, “This laugh-out-loud comedy features an array of quirky characters including two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a not-so-bright hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan and an intoxicated chaperone.”
The play has picked up five Tony Awards, and before Come From Away came along, The Drowsy Chaperone held the title of the longest-running Canadian musical on Broadway, Clausen noted.
Take in the music and laughter beginning this Thursday, at the Capitol Centre, in downtown North Bay. Thursday’s show begins at 7 p.m., with the next show starting Saturday, November 30th at 1 p.m., followed by an evening show at 7 p.m. The final show is on Sunday, December 1st at 7 p.m. and all tickets are $25, available at the Capitol Centre Box Office.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
