The Drowsy Chaperone Weaves its Way to Florida Tech Nov. 5, 7, 11-13

MELBOURNE, FLA.—Florida Institute of Technology’s College Players’ fall production is “The Drowsy Chaperone.” The musical comedy, based on the book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, pays homage to American Jazz Age musicals and their influence on the audience. The show times are 8 p.m. on Nov. 5, 11, 12, 13; and 3 p.m. on Nov. 7 at the Gleason Performing Arts Center on campus.

The musical is set in an apartment of a Broadway musical fanatic who suffers from anxiety disorder. In a depressed state, he listens to a fictional 1928 musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” and suddenly his apartment transforms into a Broadway set as the characters of the musical appear.

The show-within-a-show revolves around a “Feldzieg’s Follies” showgirl, Janet Van De Graaff, who is set to marry oil tycoon Robert Martin. To ensure her involvement in the next “Feldzieg’s Follies,” the show’s chief investor enlists two gangsters to threaten Feldzieg, Janet’s producer, to stop the wedding. To save himself, Feldzieg hires Adolpho, a Latin romantic, to seduce Janet into leaving her fiancé. Janet, however, having doubts about Robert, disguises herself as a French woman leading to a misunderstanding.

Cast members include Miles Wallio as the Man in Chair, Alison May as the Drowsy Chaperone, and Brittany Kociuba is Janet Van Der Graaf.

The Nov. 5 performance is free to all. Otherwise, tickets are $10 for adults; $5 for ages 55 and older, those with military or student IDs, and Florida Tech faculty and staff with ID; and free for Florida Tech students with IDs. The show on Nov. 11 will be free for those with military IDs. For more information, email jgardn01@my.fit.edu or sireland@my.fit.edu, or visit http://cp.fit.edu.