What you think you're watching is not The Drowsy Chaperone.
Olds High School's Drama Club is preparing for its production, which will be one of its most unique musicals ever.
It's the complexity of how the play was written by Bob Martin and Don McKellar that makes it different. As indicated by the title's tagline, "A Musical Within a Comedy," The Drowsy Chaperone is a piece of meta-theatre that draws audiences into multiple realities.
"This is like nothing we've ever done before," says teacher Rhonda West, who has 32 students involved, a number expected to increase as the set gets bigger.
The Man in the Chair (played by Russell Rabchak) is the first character to be introduced. In many synopses of The Drowsy Chaperone, he's been described as an "agoraphobic" Broadway super fan.
"What he's doing is, he's telling the story of this musical. And as he's telling the story, we're acting it out," West says.
The Man in the Chair's story acts as a frame narrative and it's when he plays The Drowsy Chaperone on a record player that the play within the play begins. In what will be many instances of breaking the fourth wall, the Man in the Chair interjects throughout with his own commentary on what the audience is watching.
The Drowsy Chaperone, set in the 1920s, tells the story of a rich socialite, Robert Martin (played by Ryan Maschke) who is about to wed Broadway star Janet van de Graaff (played by Valerie Cosh). The main tension within the play is caused by those who would rather not see the wedding happen.
For Cosh and Maschke, who are both in their fourth Drama Club production, their roles are not limited to The Drowsy Chaperone characters. They also have to play the real-life actors behind those characters within The Man in the Chair's universe. They are: Percy Hyman as Robert Martin and Jane Roberts as Janet van de Graaff.
Cosh says it's been a good challenge for them as performers and Maschke reflects on the irony that while West has always taught students not to be themselves on stage, Hyman and Roberts do just that.
"The actors that we're playing are doing everything we were told not to do ourselves. It's so funny to get into those characters like that," Maschke says.
The Drowsy Chaperone is also intended to critique its own genre, taking aim at clichéd tropes, overacting and racism of the times.
"The guy who wrote it, (Bob) Martin, basically wrote it in that kind of form where it starts off with the Man in the Chair saying, 'I hate musicals,'" Cosh says.
But don't mistake The Drowsy Chaperone for a high-brow cultural exhibit. West says it's more of an adult comedy than they've done before and while that makes it a riot for the teenaged performers, it's best to leave young kids at home.
"Oh yeah, my parents will love it," Maschke says. "It's good for people who aren't fans of musicals ... because it basically is a mockery of every musical made. But it's also a beautiful thing for people who like musicals too because they get all the jokes."
The show is set to upbeat 1920s swing music by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. Maschke has been developing the choreography.
West realizes it's going to be an unfamiliar story to most -- if not all -- in the audience. But she's betting on her students' track record to bring the crowds.
"I hope that Olds High School has the reputation where audiences are just going to know we're going to put a good show, whether they know what it is or not."
The Drowsy Chaperone will be performed at the TransCanada Theatre from Nov. 25-27 and from Dec. 2-4.
Tickets cost $20 for adults, $10 for students and seniors.
For more information and tickets, visit www.oldskiwanis.org or call OHS at 403-556-3391
"The guy who wrote it, (Bob) Martin, basically wrote it in that kind of form where it starts off with the Man in the Chair saying, 'I hate musicals.'" VALERIE COSH
