Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • beats
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    • California Dream
    • Videos
    • Photos
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Roots
    • Eclectic
    • Videos
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight
    • California State of Mind
    • The View From Here
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • Insight Music
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • CapRadio Travels
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support / Underwriting
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Volunteering
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
  • Arts and Lifestyle
  •  

For Silly Summer Fun, Look No Further Than Music Circus’ ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’

  •  Jeff Hudson 
Wednesday, July 10, 2019 | Sacramento, CA
Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Photo by Kevin Graft

Bruce Vilanch as Man in Chair in THE DROWSY CHAPERONE produced by Broadway At Music Circus at the Wells Fargo Pavilion July 9-14.

Photo by Kevin Graft

The lights go down for Sacramento’s Broadway at Music Circus production of “The Drowsy Chaperone,” and after a moment, a cantankerous voice comes out of the gloom: 

I hate theatre. Well, it’s so disappointing, isn’t it? Do you know what I do when I’m sitting in a darkened theater, waiting for the show to begin? I pray. Oh dear God, please let it be a good show. And let it be short. Oh lord in heaven, please. Two hours is fine. Three hours is too much!

That’s The Man in the Chair, a portly old recluse who loves playing cast albums of Broadway shows from decades past on scratchy vinyl LPs. He’s our improbable MC for this show brimming with glittering production numbers and sarcastic monologues, leading us through one of his favorites, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” a fictitious musical from the Roaring ’20s.

He sets up the songs he adores, like this lament from an actress:

Janet: I don’t want to be cute no more, make the gentlemen hoot no more, I don’t want to wear fruit no more, I don’t want to show off!

Chorus: She don’t want to show off no more…

Our guide then pops back in, with tart remarks about anything on his mind:

Remember when November used to be cold. No more! November is the new August now. It’s global warming! We’re all doomed!

Which leads into another energetic production number, this time with tap dancing. 

As he leads us through this fictitious musical, our host explains the meandering, implausible plot of “The Drowsy Chaperone,” about a glitzy society wedding that’s going off the rails.

The show’s large cast, dressed in a colorful cavalcade of costumes, spoofs the stock characters found in these 1920s musicals, like the seductive Latin lover and the ditzy dame. What makes this show appealing is the glittering, energetic dance numbers interspersed with witty dialogue and topped off with sarcastic comments from our host,The Man in the Chair.

The Man in the Chair is played by Bruce Vilanch, who honed his verbal repartee doing four seasons on the Hollywood Squares. So if you’re looking for silly summer fun, check out “The Drowsy Chaperone.” And by the way, the show clocks in at just under two hours… exactly what our host asked for.

The Broadway at Music Circus production of “The Drowsy Chaperone” continues through Sunday, July 14, at the Wells Fargo Pavilion. 


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

 theatre review

Jeff Hudson

Contributing Arts Reporter and Theatre Critic

Jeff Hudson has been contributing arts-related stories to Capital Public Radio since 1995, with an emphasis on theater and classical music. He attends over 100 performances annually, ranging from modern musicals to medieval masses.   Read Full Bio 

 Email Jeff Hudson

Coronavirus Newsletter

Get answers to your questions, the latest updates and easy access to the resources you need, delivered to your inbox.

 

Want to know what to expect? Here's a recent newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

We'll send you weekly emails so you can stay informed about the coronavirus in California.

Browse all newsletters

Most Viewed

When Can I Get A COVID-19 Vaccine? How Will I Find Out? Answers To Your California Vaccine Questions.

California Coronavirus Updates: State Lawmakers Approve $2 Billion Incentive For Schools To Reopen

California Coronavirus Updates: San Joaquin County Allows Outdoor Sports To Open Up

California Will Soon Tie Reopening To Vaccination Equity Rates, Dedicate 40% Of Doses To Low-Income Communities

California To Expand COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility To Residents With Severe Health Conditions, Disabilities

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

When Can I Get A COVID-19 Vaccine? How Will I Find Out? Answers To Your California Vaccine Questions.

California Coronavirus Updates: State Lawmakers Approve $2 Billion Incentive For Schools To Reopen

California Coronavirus Updates: San Joaquin County Allows Outdoor Sports To Open Up

California Will Soon Tie Reopening To Vaccination Equity Rates, Dedicate 40% Of Doses To Low-Income Communities

California To Expand COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility To Residents With Severe Health Conditions, Disabilities

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2021, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.