The Drowsy Chaperone Study Guide - Theatre Under The Stars

“It does what a musical is supposed to
do: it takes you to another world. And
it gives you a little tune to carry in
your head, you know? A little something
to take you away from the dreary
horrors of the real world. A little
something for when you’re feeling blue.
You know?”
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Man in Chair, from The Drowsy Chaperone
The Drowsy Chaperone is a celebration of the healing powers of theatre.
As we’ve seen, after World War I, the world was tired of the “dreary horrors
of the real world.” The musical theatre of the 1920s was an answer to that
weariness. Audiences did not come to the theatre for realism, they came
to be transported; they came for spectacle, for fascinating characters,
clever lyrics and melodies you would always remember. They came for a
happy ending. In real life and in his stage persona as Man in Chair, Bob
Martin longs for the days when musicals had the funny, absurd and joyous
atmosphere that The Drowsy Chaperone matches so perfectly.
What about you? How do you feel about musical theatre? Is The Drowsy
Chaperone the first musical you’ve ever seen? Can theatre heal and restore
today, as it did in the 1920s?