Drowsy Chaperone
Drowsy Chaperone: As an unnamed musical theatre fanatic, known simply as the Man in the Chair, plays a recording of his favorite 1928 musical comedy to cheer himself up, causing the story of the show comes to life onstage. Hosted by Mrs. Tottendale, Broadway starlet Janet Van de Graaff is about to get married to debonair oil magnet Robert Martin. Janet's producer, Mr. Feldzeig finds himself pressured by gangster investors to keep Janet from leaving the Follies. The two henchmen pose as pastry chefs at the wedding while Mr. Feldzeig laments his fate to chorus girl Kitty. Meanwhile, the stressed best man George has sent Janet off under the dubious care of a half drunk chaperone, where she beings to question the upcoming nuptials. To top the chaos off, the Man's current day life and technical troubles keep interrupting the action as his phone rings, the LP is over-recorded and his power is shut off. Eventually, the Man's faith in the musical and an uproarious series of faux pas (including Robert's ruse to have Adolpho, self-proclaimed Spanish lover, seduce Janet) ends in a triple marriage and a literal honeymoon takeoff by private pilot Trix the Aviator. Music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. Book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar.
Get Your FREE Plot Now!
Sample Photos of Our Rental Costumes for Drowsy Chaperone
Pictures are representative of our rental collection, costumes may vary due to size and availability.
Rental Costumes for The Drowsy Chaperone
What do you get when you request a FREE costume plot from The Costumer? We will send you the listing and costume description for the entire show, organized by act and scene for your convenience. The Costumer is proud to provide quality Adult and Children’s rental costumes for productions of The Drowsy Chaperone! Group costume rentals for The Drowsy Chaperone cover the entire cast including leads such as Man in Chair, The Drowsy Chaperone, Janet van de Graaff, Robert Martin, George, Mr. Feldzieg, Aldolpho, and the gangsters, as well as ensemble members including wedding guests, reporters, maids, monkeys and much more!
Hailed by New York Magazine as “The Perfect Broadway Musical,” The Drowsy Chaperone is a meta love letter to the musical theatre genre. First staged at The Rivoli in Toronto in 1998, The Drowsy Chaperone opened on Broadway several years later on May 1st, 2006. With book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, and music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, The Drowsy Chaperone was nominated for multiple Broadway and West End theatre awards upon its release. The musical won five Tony Awards, including Best Book and Best Score. With its multitude of charming featured roles and accessible script, The Drowsy Chaperone is a perfect fit for scholastic theatres and community theatre seasons.
Billed as a musical within a comedy, the show follows the Man in Chair, a mousy, agoraphobic Broadway fanatic as he listens to his beloved recording of the fictional 1928 musical comedy, The Drowsy Chaperone. As the recording plays, the Jazz Age musical comes to life onstage. The Man in Chair looks on as the action unfolds between the quirky mix of characters, such as two celebrity lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate producer, a dim-witted hostess, two gangsters in disguise, a self-proclaimed yet misguided Don Juan, and an ever-intoxicated chaperone. As the Man in Chair provides commentary throughout the show, his sporadic remarks reveal aspects of his personal life, such as a failed marriage, and an implied attraction to The Drowsy Chaperone’s leading man.
The story begins in the Man in Chair’s apartment as he seeks to cure his “non-specific sadness” by listening to his recording of The Drowsy Chaperone, his favorite cast album. As he listens to the rare recording, the characters being to appear, and his dingy apartment transforms into a glitzy Broadway set complete with seashell footlights, bright furniture, brilliant painted backdrops, and flamboyant costumes. The premise of the show is introduced in the over the top opening number, “Fancy Dress.” It is the day of the wedding of Robert Martin, the extravagantly wealthy oil tycoon, and Broadway star Janet Van de Graaff, who intends to give up her career for a quieter married life. The wedding attendees include the up in age hostess, Mrs. Tottendale; her steadfast employee referred to only as Underling; George, Robert’s best man; Mr. Feldzieg, a Broadway producer vying to persuade Janet to forgo marriage and continue starring in his elaborate revue productions, Feldzieg’s Follies; Kitty, a ditzy flapper hoping to take Janet’s place in Feldzieg’s shows; two gangsters in disguise as pastry chefs; Aldolpho, a self-proclaimed famed Latin lover; the alcoholic Drowsy Chaperone tasked with keeping Janet away from her groom until the wedding; and an aviatrix named Trix.
From the moment the curtains go up, The Costumer’s Drowsy Chaperone rental costumes will transport your audience to the glitzy and extravagant Jazz Age of the 1920’s! Every character will be costumed appropriately in apparel accurate to the time period. Janet will enter wearing a stylish pastel day dress, complete with a fashionable hat of the era, coat, and purse. Her future husband will look equally as dapper in a lightly colored two-piece 1920’s style suit, with a coordinating vest, spiffy striped shirt, an eye-catching four-in-hand tie, and matching fedora. The old-fashioned Mrs. Tottendale will wear an Edwardian style day dress with a matching reticule and gloves, and her trusted Underling will resemble a put together servant clad in a classic black tailcoat tuxedo.
As other characters take the stage, they will all equally amaze in their own unique costumes. The great Broadway producer, Mr. Feldzeig, will exude wealth and elegance in a refined two-piece suit and stylish brocade vest. Kitty will resemble the classic flapper in a flashy youthful dress. The titular Drowsy Chaperone will be wearing a sophisticated 1920’s style dress (drink in hand not included). The ever-present Broadway-loving Man in Chair will provide a stark contrast to the glitzy and glamorous ensembles of the Jazz Age in a simple contemporary conservative plaid shirt and sweater vest.
Once the scene has been set in the opening number, the zaniness of The Drowsy Chaperone truly begins. From gangsters trying to prevent the wedding, to Aldolpho attempting to seduce the bride, Robert attempting to tap dance away his “Cold Feets,” the Man in Chair interjecting throughout all of the action, and much more!
This is only a mere glimpse at what The Costumer has to offer for The Drowsy Chaperone! With the help of our rental costumes, let your artistic vision come to life onstage and transport your audience to the musical and striking world of The Drowsy Chaperone! Request your free plot today!
Get Your FREE Plot Now!
Back to List of Shows