Westside High School’s theater department is preparing for its upcoming production of The Drowsy Chaperone, a musical comedy that blends narration, music and classic Broadway-style storytelling.
The show centers on a character known as the Man in Chair, who listens to a recording of his favorite musical in his apartment and guides the audience through the story as it unfolds.
Junior Lennan Adler plays the Man in Chair, a character who serves as the narrator for the production and helps bring the musical’s story to life.
“The musical is about this guy in his apartment and he’s showing you his favorite musical and he just kinda narrates through and tells you who played who along him, kinda breaks down throughout it,” Adler said.
Adler described the Man in Chair as a quiet and somewhat socially reserved character who reflects on the musical while introducing the audience to the cast of characters.
“I’m playing the Man in Chair. He’s a guy in his mid-40s or 50s and he’s kinda non-social,” Adler said.
Because the role involves extensive narration, Adler said preparing for the performance required memorizing a large number of lines.
“I’m gonna say definitely for this role it was memorizing my lines was the hard part because he talks and he talks,” Adler said.
Adler said his interest in musical theater began later in life after a friend introduced him to performing.
“Well I wasn’t someone that was introduced to musical theater when I was younger and one of my best friends actually introduced me to the love of singing and acting,” Adler said.
Adler said the production offers audiences both entertainment and a message they can take away from the performance.
“You should come and watch the musical because it’s freaking awesome and it’s super cool and I think that it’s a really cool show just entertainment wise but it’s also I think it has a pretty meaningful message along with it that a lot of people can take away,” Adler said.
Westside’s production of The Drowsy Chaperone will showcase the work of student performers and provide audiences with a mix of comedy, music and storytelling inspired by classic musical theater.
