Burrell High School’s drama club presents musical comedy 'The Drowsy Chaperone'

The Burrell High School Drama Club will present “The Drowsy Chaperone,” a send-up of musicals from the Jazz Age, Thursday through Saturday in the school’s auditorium.

Burrell music director Martin Connolly said the musical is a great venue to showcase the talents of eight to 10 students in featured roles.

“It’s a good show that is a fun musical but also poignant,” Connolly said.

About 50 students are involved with the production. About half are in the cast and the others are helping to build the sets and operate the lighting and sound. Adult musicians will fill the orchestra pit.

The musical is a story within a story: A man who is a Broadway musical fan, but who rarely leaves home and suffers from “non-specific sadness,” listens to a recording of a show called “The Drowsy Chaperone.” The musical comes to life in his apartment, in all its campy glory. The 2006 Broadway production won five Tony Awards, including Best Original Score.

“We are living in a time when people have a lot of nonspecific anxiety and we all use music, television and movies to cope,” Connolly said. To that end, he added, the musical is light-hearted and provides a feel-good experience. Furthermore, the musical is not commonly done and it doesn’t get the attention that “The Little Mermaid” would get.

Zack Jones, 18, a senior, plays the central character (called, simply, “Man in Chair”). It is his eighth show. Jones started on the drama club’s tech staff and in his sophomore year switched to acting.

“The whole show is a character study about the man in the chair,” Jones said. “He’s really anxiety-ridden, but jokey. It’s a very interesting comedy.”

The musical gave Jones a chance to delve deep into the main character.

“It’s the most interesting one I’ve played so far,” he said.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” is the 17th stage production for Georgia Brothers, 18, a senior. Her experience includes productions at the summer theater workshop at Penn State New Kensington.

She plays the character Janet Van De Graaff, a competent woman featured in the production. Brothers admired her character’s confidence.

“Playing this role slowly brought me out of my shell,” she said.

The musical comedy is brimming with a range of personalities on stage.

“It’s cool putting it all together and making it into a comedy,” she said.

This role might be Brothers’ last for a while, she said, as she gets ready to graduate this year.

“The most important thing to me about all of the shows is the relationships I’ve made,” she said.