The Drowsy Chaperone - Newark Central Schools

The Drowsy
Chaperone
Doubly
Challenging
When it comes to directing shows,
Steve Duprey really likes challenges.
So in selecting “The Drowsy Chaperone,”
a hilarious spoof about 1920s American
musical comedy _ a show within a show and
all the accompanying challenges it presents
_ for this year’s musical production at
Newark High School you can say his role as
director is . . . well, doubly challenging.
The 2006 Tony award winner for both Best Book and
Best Score is set in both in the present day and
the roaring twenties. The clever show centers around a
reclusive Broadway theater buff, who, while listening to a
record from his favorite 1928 musical, “The Drowsy
Chaperone,” sees his dingy, New York City apartment
transformed before his eyes into a Broadway set of the
fictional musical with all of its characters, glitz and glam.
That transformation and
several other scenes present
enormous challenges in
terms of set and props
changes in tight space and
time frames.
“Set-wise the show is a
real challenge. We narrowed
the stage down and made it
smaller to give the illusion
of a small apartment and we
have things like staircases
that come in and out,”
explained Duprey, who is
now in his twelfth year of
directing plays and musicals
at NHS.
But the other challenge is keeping pace with
an ever-changing story line and ever changing roles.
And the ongoing narration by the opinionated “Man
in Chair” who critiques the cast and production of
“The Drowsy Chaperone” throughout the show _
and often becomes part of it without the cast
knowing.
At one point, he
mistakenly plays a
record from
another show and
the cast finds itself
completely
switching gears,
and costumes, and
performing an
Asian number
called “Message
From A
Nightengale.’’
And then there are a series of other humorous gaffes made by the “Man in Chair,” like when his
record skips and the cast keeps doing the same thing over and over until he remedies the situation.
“The Drowsy
Chaperone” story
line revolves
around the news
that “Feldzieg’s
Follies” show girl
Janet Van de
Graaff has
decided to leave
the stage and
spotlight behind
for love.
Her oil tycoon fiance, Robert Martin, is as happy as he can be, but
nervous, and eases his jitters by tap dancing alongside his best man,
George. But Janet begins to have second thoughts about marrying Robert,
after tempting him into being “unfaithful” to her.
Janet is also torn about her manager's devastation about her leaving the show, which puts its success
in jeopardy.
He is being
threatened with
bodily harm by two
gangsters employed
by his chief investor.
Disguised as pastry
chefs, these two punhappy thugs threaten
Feldzieg, telling him
to stop the wedding.
In hopes of
saving himself,
Feldzieg enlists
Aldolpho, a Latin
cassanova to steal
Janet’s heart and
destroy her
relationship with
Robert.
But the bumbling Aldolpho mistakenly goes after the wrong girl _ Janet’s chaperone _ and succeeds
in winning her heart. The chaperone is supposed to be keeping Janet and Robert from seeing each other
on their
wedding day,
but her love of
prohibition
alcohol and
her dalliance
with her goofy
Latin lover,
who thinks she
is Janet,
distracts her
from her
duties.
As such,
the wedding is
called off but
then is back on
when Janet has
a change of
heart about
Robert, whom
she calls
“Monkey.”
You’ll have to see the
show to find out what
happens next. Suffice it to
say it is silly chaos until the
end.
“It's a very creative and
clever show _ a good, oldfashioned musical
complete with mayhem,
mix-ups, lovers and
gangsters,” Duprey said.
“The Drowsy
Chaperone” will be
presented in the NHS
auditorium at 7:30 p.m.
March 1 and 2 and at 2
p.m. March 3.
Duprey says audiences at each of the
three shows will love the musical thanks to
great talent, “very catchy, wonderful music,”
great choreography and dancing; and great
behind-the-scenes stage and technical
crews.
The director said it was his wife, Cindy,
who first suggested he direct the show after
she saw it in New York.
“As she left the theater, she called me on
her cell phone and said “Oh, my God, you
have to do this play. She said it was my kind
of comedy. A lot of schtick. A lot of off-thewall stuff. I saw it a couple of years later and
loved it. It’s a
nice show
cause it is new.
I’m always
looking for
something
new to do and
no one else
around here
has done it,’’
Duprey said,
noting he’s got
a great cast
with seasoned
leads and lots
of new talent
in the
ensemble.
NHS vocal music teacher Jean Bendix is the musical director; Emily Howard is the choreographer;
NHS instrumental music teacher Dave Schwind is director of the pit band; and Mary Lou Bonnell is the
piano accompanist.
The cast includes:
Ryan Tracy as Man in
Chair; Spencer Edmonds as
Robert Martin; Jon Norris
as Aldolpho; Sam
Wersinger as Underling;
Tyre Smith as Mr. Feldzieg;
Curtis Mason as George,
Matthew Fedczuk as
Gangster 1; Grant Howard
as Gangster 2; Hannah
Rothpearl as Janet Van de
Graafff; Ashley Farley as
The Drowsy Chaperone;
Kathryn Brinkman as Mrs.
Tottendale; Marina Ruffalo
as Kitty; and Megan
Kreuser as Trix the Avaitrix.
The ensemble includes:
Kayla Baylard, Nelson Betances,
Sherisse Briggs, Alexa Bushart,
Mari Caporaso, Cyndi
Coleman, Riley Collins, Tori
Cramer, Makalah Crawford,
Maria DeRenzo, Ethan Erway,
Amanda Fagner, Brianna
Ferguson, Alison Hoe, Elizabeth
Kline, Bethany Kommer,
Kaitlyn Lyman, Shea Matz,
McKenna Martin, Brittney
Morrison, Ricky Partridge, Alice
Rosario, Bink Saligupta.
The stage managers are
Bri Adkins, Marleah
Cunningham and the crew
includes: Stu Blodgett, Kellie
Bundschuh, Anthony Diamond,
Catherine Erway, Andrew
Garrett, Alana Greco, Ryan Kreuser, Joey
Ruffalo, Dan Staples, Brittany Williams and
Meghan Wright.
The pit band features Kendra Bush
on the clarinet, Michaela Mason on flute,
Jack Diamond, Mike Fedczuk, Josh Wilck,
Chris Doser, Mark Viavattine and Erik
Stabnau on saxophone; Santasia Cummings
on bass clarinet, Alex Schwind and Steve
Quance on trumpet; Jenna Taylor and Mike
Nave on trombone; BJ Blair and Bob White,
percussion; Andy Stobie on bass; and
Bonnell and Chrissy Stevens on keyboard.
Scenic painters were Richard
Jacobsen, Duprey and Kate Duprey.
The light board operator is Anthony
Diamond. Andrew Garrett and Tim Knapp
operate the soundboard. Garrett also is the
spotlight operator. Fly operators are Stu
Blodgett and Dan Staples. Ryan Tracy, Kate
Duprey and Spencer Edmonds are the light
crew.
Dave Howard and Lawson Whiting
built the sets Duprey designed with help
from Mitch Ruffalo, Marc Kreuser, Rob Hoe,
Jeremy Rothpearl and Bob Bendix.
Inger Rothpearl and Linda Whiting
were in charge of costumes and were assisted by Kristin Kommer, Jean Hoe, Tina Kline, Debbie Ruffalo,
Dawn Houser, Marcy Mason and Lisa Fedczuk.
Jean Bendix, Emily Howard and
Linda Whiting were in charge of makeup
and hair.
Ashley Farley designed the poster.
Gabi DeMitry is the main usher and Diana
Ledbetter and other parents are in charge of
concessions.
“We’ve had a lot of parent
involvement this year _ great people helping
us,’’ Duprey said.
Tickets for “The Drowsy Chaperone”
performances March 1-3 are $5 for students
and senior citizens and $7 for adults and are
at available at the door at Newark Wegmans
and at Reliant Credit Union.