Ohio University Lancaster Theatre performs The Drowsy Chaperone

Ohio University Lancaster Theatre performs The Drowsy Chaperone.

Ohio University Lancaster Theatre will perform its fall production, the five-time, Tony Award-winning musical The Drowsy Chaperone, in the Wagner Theatre at 7 p.m. Nov. 29, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 and 2 p.m. Dec. 2.

The musical with a script by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, and music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison will have audiences tapping their feet to the Jazz Age musical that features show-stopping song and dance numbers one right after the other.

The story begins as a man in a chair puts on his favorite record; a cast recording of a fictitious 1928 musical. As the music comes to life, so does the stage with two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan and an intoxicated chaperone. As the events leading to the wedding unfold, audiences are delighted with continuous humor and farcical shenanigans.

“There is such a wide array of characters, you’ll certainly relate to one of them,” said Aaron Lawson, who plays “Man in the Chair.” “You can’t help but laugh at how big and crazy this show is. If you’re looking for a good time, come see this show. You’ll come away smiling and laughing.

Hailed by New York Magazine as “The perfect Broadway musical,” The Drowsy Chaperone is a masterful meta-musical, poking fun at all the tropes that characterize the musical theater genre.

In order to prepare for this show, most of the cast had the challenge of learning how to tap dance since several numbers include a significant amount of this style of dance.

“The tap is definitely the most challenging part for me,” said Brenton LeuVoy, who plays Robert Martin, the groom. “The pressure of being onstage tapping, sometimes by myself or with as little as one other dancer, is a very exciting new challenge for me.”

Tickets are available online at https://commerce.cashnet.com/oul-theatre or at the box office Monday through Friday, from noon to 4 p.m. It will also be open one hour before the start of each show. For questions or to reserve your tickets, please call 740-681-3353.

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIShows.com