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'Pure comic show biz... A sure-fire crowd pleaser.' – The Australian
'It's a show that will make every musical theatre tragic's heart beat faster' – The Age
'Slick, witty, affectionate and very funny... a joy in every way.' – Herald Sun
Geoffrey Rush stars as a die-hard musical theatre fan who invites us into his dreary living room. As he drops the needle on his all-time favourite album, an outrageously funny musical from the 1920s, The Drowsy Chaperone, bursts into life complete with a pampered starlet, gangsters, chorus girls and all manner of mayhem.
With a star-studded cast, sequin-drenched costumes and dazzling new production numbers, The Drowsy Chaperone is a jazz-hot trip back to the golden age of musicals when stars had charisma, Broadway had romance and Rodgers had Hart.
Don’t miss this five time Tony Award winning lollapalooza of a show.
Purchase a limited edition signed poster from Melbourne Theatre Company's production of The Drowsy Chaperone on ebay.
BY ARRANGEMENT WITH HAL LEONARD AUSTRALIA, EXCLUSIVE AGENT FOR MUSIC THEATRE INTERNATIONAL, NY.
Key Photography: Marcel Aucar, Production Photography: Jeff Busby
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'On a quiet Monday night in New York a few years ago, I slipped into the first preview of this musical without knowing anything about it. For the next ninety minutes I sat enraptured by the most wonderfully mocking yet affectionate spoof of early Broadway musicals – a rich layer cake of homage piled on blancmange, with just a sprinkling of wistful insight. The overarching conceit that the musical is recreated for us by a Broadway fan as he plays the Original Cast Album is a stroke of comic genius. And speaking of comic genius, Geoffrey Rush (fresh from conquering Broadway himself) will conjure up a dazzling cavalcade of stars, which includes the riveting Robyn Nevin, the shimmering Shane Jacobson, the graceful Grant Piro, the raffish Richard Piper and hoofing Heidi Arena.'
Simon Phillips, Artistic Director
Effervescent taste of the golden age
'Disliking The Drowsy Chaperone would be like disliking kittens: pointless and somehow inhuman. This is a preposterous cocktail of a show, delivered with just enough lemon to cut against the syrup, and Melbourne Theatre Company artistic director Simon Phillips has given it a superb production.' - Alison Croggon, The Australian. To read the full article click here.
Audience Feedback
‘Fantastic, fast-paced and enthusiastically delivered with an extraordinary set and great stage band. We definitely recommend The Drowsy Chaperone.’ - Cass and Jared, Mitcham
‘The Drowsy Chaperone was a hoot! The MTC does it best when theatre-goers are scooped up and carried along effortlessly as we were in this surprisingly heart-felt musical melodrama... If nothing else, The Drowsy Chaperone will leave you wanting to dance around your living room and not give a damn. A lesson in unabashedness to be sure.’ - Dougal, Elwood
Throwback to the great lullabies of Broadway
'It sounds like one of those theatrical marriages that was waiting to happen. That kooky Broadway hit The Drowsy Chaperone - a musical within a musical about a lonely guy listening to 1920s show tunes - has prompted record bookings at the Melbourne Theatre Company ahead of its opening next week. The lead role of the Man in Chair is played by none other than Geoffrey Rush.' - Peter Cravan, The Australian. To read the full article click here.