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Tony award-winning Broadway Show Visits Walton Arts Center |
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Jan. 12, 2010
Submitted by: Walton Arts Center
Northwest Arkansas (January 12, 2010) – The Drowsy Chaperone, a 1920’s musical throw-back comedy that won more Tony Awards in 2006 than any other musical on Broadway, is coming to Northwest Arkansas for three performances. The Drowsy Chaperone takes the stage in Baum Walker Hall, Feb. 2, 3 and 4 at 7pm. Tickets range from $38.50 to $48.50 and can be purchased by calling the Walton Arts Center Box Office at 479.443.5600 or by visitingwaltonartscenter.org.
Appropriate for the whole family, The Drowsy Chaperone is a light-hearted musical and a cleverly constructed homage to the bygone of the Jazz Age. This single-act show begins in a dreary apartment with a cheerless gentleman sitting routinely in a chair. The man, aptly called “Man in Chair,” decides to cope with life’s hardships by listening to his favorite show tunes album; a 1928 smash hit called “The Drowsy Chaperone.” As soon as the first song begins to play, the ordinary quickly turns extraordinary. What follows is a whimsical show-within-a-show that focuses on a newly-engaged narcissistic showgirl and her dashing husband-to-be, an avaricious producer, a know-it-all British butler, a pair of cookie-cutter 1920s gangsters, an over-the-top Casanova and a dotty heroine.
As hilarity ensues, “Man in Chair” dishes out droll narration – sometimes speaking directly to the audience – that only adds to The Drowsy Chaperone’s originality and charm. This creative use of commentary brings the theatergoers in and out of the musical fantasy unfolding on stage, creating an audience-actor connection unlike any other Broadway show. “Surely few productions have ever pulled an audience so immediately and unconditionally on their sides,” said the New York Times.
In 2006, the Broadway musical won five Tony Awards including Best Music and Best Book (Bob Martin and Don McKellar), Best Original Score (Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison), Best Scenic Design (David Gallo) and Best Costume Design (Gregg Barnes). The show also won seven Drama Desk Awards and four Outer Critics Circle Awards, among others. Called “smart and wholly original” by Time Out Chicago, The Drowsy Chaperone gives audiences an opportunity to see escapist theatre at its best.
The Drowsy Chaperon is part of the Procter & Gamble Broadway Series with additional support from The Jim and Diane Blair Charitable Foundation and media support from Northwest Arkansas Newspapers. For more information about this performance or others, contact the Walton Arts Center Box Office by calling 479.443.5600 or by visiting waltonartscenter.org.
Walton Arts Center is Arkansas' premier center for the performing arts and entertainment. Each year more than 140,000 people from Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma and beyond attend over 350 public events at Walton Arts Center, including performances, rehearsals, community gatherings, receptions, graduations and more. Approximately 20,000 students and teachers from 30 school districts participate annually in arts learning programs at Walton Arts Center, and over 300 volunteers donate more than 15,000 hours of time each year to its operations. Walton Arts Center presents entertainers and artists from around the world including Broadway musicals, renowned dance companies, international artists, up-and-coming jazz musicians and more. As a non-profit organization, Walton Arts Center enjoys the generous support of public sector funding, corporate sponsorship and private donors, allowing audience members to pay on average only 50% of the cost of programs offered. To learn more about Walton Arts Center, visit www.waltonartscenter.org.
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