Do you know what I do when I’m sitting in a darkened theatre waiting for a show to start? I’m mostly wondering why the lights have gone down if the show hasn’t actually started. Though it sounds like me and “Man in Chair” of The Drowsy Chaperone infamy, have some similar thoughts. Like “please, God, let it be a good show. And if not a good one, at least let it be short.” And let me tell you, I’ve been to good shows that have been long, and horrible shows that have been 90-minutes or less with no intermission; Dionysus and the Theatre Gods do not discriminate! This show, while not exactly the 90-minutes or less type, is quite short, all things considered— AND— it’s pretty darn good. In fact, some might go so far to call it a treat. Me, I’m the ‘some’, I’m going to call it a treat. It’s a rarely produced, joyful little bubble of bliss bouncing along in that oh-so-decadent world of the glamourous and glitzy 1920s, with a heavy-dose of fourth-wall-obliterating-musical-within-a-musical lens-work draped overtop of it. Directed by Alex Campbell, with Musical Direction by Willie Hadnot, and Choreography by Sarah Luckadoo, The Drowsy Chaperone is a fun and really entertaining musical theatre adventure, and you won’t want to miss your chance to see it!

It’s an impressively produced show (shout out to executive producers Maureen Rogers, producer Scott Howe, and the entirety of the production team!) and though not without a few minor hiccups here and there, it’s essentially a thoroughly enjoyable and extremely well-done show! And it gets bonus points for not being a done-to-death musical! Director Alex Campbell also wears the hat of Set Designer, alongside Megan Campbell and he triples up in the role of scenic painter, alongside Sarah Hargest. The show’s scenery is catchy! It has that modern-retro hybrid blend (with a praiseworthy nod to John Cholod for some show-specific hand-crafted art featured as part of the scenic décor), our show’s little setting, and Campbell and his team work wonders with that refrigerator and the Murphy bed. It’s tastefully decorated and simply set, and yet it draws you into the world of Drowsy. My personal favorite scenic piece? Aside from the fridge? That glittery, radiant, fountain with flowers. It’s a cardboard/wooden shaped-flat that gets stood into the scene like it grew there from the floorboards. But it’s so pretty, rich in depth, color, and glitz, I feel like I want it for my dining room! And I feel like Man in Chair would probably agree with me!

Enhancing that world of magical theatrical engagement, you know, the kind Man in Chair wants you to delve into and lose yourself in? Well, that would be the Costume Coordination crew, which features Alex Campbell, Jenna Campbell, Lacy Shown, and the cast itself! You get some stunning flapper dress numbers, some glamorously gallant pieces for both men and ladies, and the titular character herself sparkles from head to toe in her eggplant-plum affair. The show’s sartorial selection is a sensational spectacle that stays in that imaginary realm of the glamorous 1920s and everyone ends up wearing at least one piece that really makes them pop. The Aviatrix outfit, while not as glitzy as some of the flapper dresses, is a personal favorite just because of how dashing it ends up looking!

Having Musical Director Willie Hadnot appear on stage— aquamarine suit jacket, keyboard, and all— to accompany the titular character for her breakout solo, the look on his face is priceless. He looks befuddled and deeply confused as to why he’s being dragged out on stage (with mood lighting— shoutout to Campbell again on that lighting design!) at all. But it works, all the same. The show has some really snazzy numbers, which Hadnot works quite thoroughly and brings fulsome, hearty group sounds to. Working in tandem with Choreographer Sarah Luckadoo, the pair put the old razzle-dazzle of show-biz on display and that’s no easy feat considering the confines of the LMP stage! Luckadoo works some magic all her own when it comes to getting some of those more up-temp numbers underway— choreographing routines that fit the meter of the music without cramping everyone in or really restricting their movements. And both Luckadoo and Hadnot refine the comedy in their respective work as there’s a number— “The Toledo Surprise” that features a ‘record skip’ and the actors on stage manage that divinely both from a movement and a vocal standpoint. Bonus points to Luckadoo for finding places to work acrobatic-gymnastics into her choreography, with Gangsters 1 & 2, some roller-skate ‘catastrophe’ choreo with Robert during “Accident Waiting to Happen” and even sneaks some tap routines into the programing with “Cold Feets.” It’s a well-rounded smorgasbord of dancing!

Director Alex Campbell, who seems to be wearing every blessed creative-team hat as well— half expected him to pop up and appear in the show at some point, if I’m honest— has done a really clever thing with the staging and blocking of ‘Man in Chair.’ If you’ve ever been to Laurel Mill Playhouse, you’ll know as you enter the house along the narrow corridor that hides the tech booth (house right) there are a few old-school fold-down movie-house-style seats. These are generally reserved for late patrons or if the house isn’t entirely sold out, the volunteer staff working the box office and concession stand. Well Campbell has usurped one of those, right at the edge of the doorway that leads backstage and made that ‘THE CHAIR’ for Man in Chair. Rather than faffing about trying to set the chair somewhere in the already intimately tight staging or take up a front-row seat, you’ve got him conveniently set and he’s able to heckle, engage, narrate, and all of that right from the side of the house as if the theatre were designed specifically for this show. Campbell’s placing, overall movement, and generalized out-of-the-box thinking when it comes to spatial relations and blocking is pretty much genius. The stage, at times, does have that crowded feel to it? It’s impossible with 19 people box-step-dancing around during “The Toledo Surprise” but honestly, it feels intentional in that moment. Campbell and Luckadoo aren’t just shoving people onto the stage for the sake of getting more stage time. And they utilize their talented actors sublimely with great consistency throughout the production.

The ensemble— Diana Almeida, Natolya Barber, Rayn Hussie, Jesse Judish, Glennyce Lynn, Bonnie Millener, Kristin Vucina— our essentially our merry-maid-tap-corps. They do a lot of flitting about, particularly during the dance-heavier numbers and they assist with the scenery shift to keep the show moving. Shoutout to Natolya Barber, who plays Trix the Aviatrix; that girl has powerhouse vocals, a phenomenal stage presence, and some serious panache that makes you wish that “Trix the Aviatrix” was more than just a cameo pop-up character with some featured solo lines in the two numbers (“I Do, I Do in the Sky” and “Fancy Dress”) where she appears! The same can be said for Jalia Desper and Vijay Dev, playing Gangsters 1 and 2, respectively. Their comedic timing is witty, their acrobatic-gymnastic engagement is impressive, and they have a lot of chutzpah to lend to the show, particularly when they get into making wisecracks and culinary puns!

Rife with caricatures and stereotypes, The Drowsy Chaperone is essentially a composite of chaos— the thoroughly enjoyable, laughable, feel-good kind— and characters like Kitty (Cassidee Grunwald) and Feldzieg (Lacy Shown) make that wildly apparent. Shown plays the ball-bustin’, wheelin’-n-dealin’ show producer and has the vocal affectation to prove it. Grunwald, who is my favorite bit-part character in this show, has that ‘Joisey’ showgirl vocality going on and her antics are undeniably hilarious. She plays blonde-level-dumb to the max and really lives up the stereotype of this caricature. And while she doesn’t get a song (part of the character’s shtick, as she’s not meant to be a ‘leading lady’ type) you can tell she’s gifted because you can’t hear her standing out in the group numbers. Shown, who gets some solid singing written into her character’s track, has fabulous facial animations and really sells that nervousness to the audience while simultaneously convincing you that she’s going to wheedle her way out of every sticky situation!

And if you want to talk about stereotypes— great gracious guacamole, Aldolpho (Steven Fuentes) is it! He might even be the cat’s pajamas! Or at least a prowling Casanova cat in sexy matador-styled pajamas at any rate. Playing up the overly forced vocal affectation for laughs and leaning into the blockheaded charisma of the seductive character, you get barrel after barrel of laughs from Fuentes’ performance and when he sings his eponymous solo, which becomes somewhat of a duet with our titular character, it’s uproarious and invites the audience to guffaw and giggle along at all of his passionate antics.

I think the most underrated character in the production is probably George (Joe Downs.) Somewhat of a hapless sidekick who doesn’t’ really get much stage time except for to be in and out, panicking over whether or not all the details of the wedding go according to plan, you get to see Downs serving up some serious intellectual humor and charismatic charm in this role. You get to see Downs put this ‘fancy footwork’ on display opposite Robert (Thomas Dolan) during “Cold Feets” but his solo song work happens during “Wedding Bells #1” and although he’s not featured much beyond that except for a quip here and a zippy punchline there, he’s memorable.

If you want body language, facial expressions, and an overall razor-sharp understanding of comedic delivery, look no further than Gavin Shown as Underling. The spit-take scene between him and the dotty Mrs. Tottendale (Dana Bonistalli) is epic and hysterically to die for. His facial reactions in that scene alone are worth the price of admission. And whenever he’s giving side-eye, catch-eye, or really any kind of glare, stare, eyeroll, you name it, the audience is simply in stitches over his performance. And he’s got a lovely singing voice, which pairs perfectly with Bonistalli for “Love is Always Lovely.” Bonistalli does a fine job of playing the slightly absent-minded wealthy widow-type and her scenic chemistry with Shown’s Underling is delightful.

It’s a musical— so there must be a romantic, ingenue, gooey-eyed, dopey-grinned lovebirds couple— right? Robert (Thomas Dolan) and Janet (Madison Recktenwald.) are the pair that Drowsy gives us. And they are the exacting epitome of being those twitterpated saps who could only exist within the confines of such a musical. Dolan is the bright-eyed, eager-to-be-wed, youthful male lead, and puts all of his hopeful wedded bliss energy into dispelling the wedding-day jitters in that breakout song “Cold Feets”, where he also showcases his dancing skills. And when he’s crooning his way through the lover’s duet “Accident Waiting to Happen”, despite the whole scene being a tumultuous chaos with him on roller skates and blindfolded and Janet pretended to be French, it’s just adorable. Recktenwald, as the poor ingenue who requires the chaperone in the first place, balances her innocent naivete against her showgirl prowess sublimely. When she belts and flashes her way through “Show Off” and its encore, you’re getting some of that Sherrie Rene Scott-revival quality on display and it feels energetic. Of course, she sings so sweetly and somberly for “Bride’s Lament”, the ridiculous song loaded up with rabbits (don’t ask, just laugh.) They’re a meet-cute pair with voices that go well together and it’s a perfect fit for the story.

As for Madame Chaperone herself, the nameless, only-given-a-title character, played superbly by Lori Skalitzky, well she’s a hoot. Skalitzky sparkles— everything from the gown she’s in, the baubles she’s wearing, the voice she ballad-belts with, to the personality that just twinkles. She’s not the ringmaster of the circus, she’s the center-pole around which the entirety of the show orbits. Her drunken, bawdy “Stumble Along” number is perfection and you can’t help but want to give her a standing ovation. And her comedic antics— between playing drunk and being sassy— are excellent. She’s the cat’s meow, she champagne’s fizz, the dazzling diamond and all that jazz. And she’s got a showtunes singing voice to boot!

Which would just about wrap up this gem of a show, if it weren’t for that boisterous, bombastic, larger and louder than life, Man in Chair (Robert Howard.) If ever you need a narrative force to be reckoned with— Robert Howard is your man. In chair. And the only ‘complaint’ if you can even call it that is that ‘Man in Chair’ doesn’t really get to sing his heart out. (If you’ve ever seen Robert Howard perform— Seussical comes to mind— this young man has vocal prowess for days.) But he’s also got the acting chops to really make this character soar. It’s easy to want to play Man in Chair as an unhinged, disgruntled, fusty, mouthy man. And there are components of that in Howard’s performance, to be clear. But he adds dynamism, layers, and nuance, ultimately creating a complex narrative figure with a backstory who entertains us, opens our eyes and ears a little, and still has us laughing at his explosions and yet wanting to go with him on this journey through his favorite musical of all time. It’s a beautifully balanced and yet wholly over-the-top portrayal and Howard is nailing it, no question.  

The Drowsy Chaperone is fun, simply put. And in the real world, nothing works out and the only people who burst out not song are the delusionally deranged. But this, being a fun musical, has things and situations that work out, people spontaneously bursting into song all over the stage, and a feel-good, uplifting experience for all, even if you’re uncertain if musicals are for you! Don’t miss your change to have a good time, to take in a rarely produced show— get tickets (if you can!) to see Laurel Mill Playhouse’s The Drowsy Chaperone this fall!

Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes with one intermission

The Drowsy Chaperone plays through September 27^th 2026 at Laurel Mill Playhouse— in the heart of historic Laurel at 508 Main Street in Laurel, MD. Tickets should be purchased in advance (though walk-ins are welcome!) and are available by calling the box office at 301-617-9906 or in advance online.

BE AWARE!!! TICKETS FOR THIS EVENT ARE NEARLY ENTIRELY SOLD OUT! IT IS BEST TO CALL THE BOX OFFICE ASAP TO SECURE TICKETING