Naselle Drama Club to begin four-night run in May

Featuring students grades 6-12, the Naselle Drama Club presents "The Drowsy Chaperone Jr." for its spring production.

Directed by Karli Nelson, the production begins in the apartment of an unnamed character known as the "Man in Chair." He invites the audience to listen to his favorite Broadway record, "The Drowsy Chaperone." As the record plays, Man in Chair takes his guests on a journey back to the 1920s to witness the musical come to life.

We are introduced to the wealthy widow, Mrs. Tottendale, her butler, Underling, and the staff, who are hosting the wedding of the year between oil tycoon Robert Martin and stage starlet Janet Van de Graaff. The best man, George, is busy making preparations for the nuptials, while Miss Van de Graaff's Drowsy Chaperone is too drowsy to function as a proper maid of honor. Reporters pursue the couple, and wedding guests are thrilled to celebrate the special day.

Meanwhile, gangsters posing as pastry chefs are pressuring Janet's producer, Mr. Feldzieg, to stop the wedding. Without Janet, the mob boss will withdraw funding for Feldzieg's Follies. To resolve this, Feldzieg manipulates a wedding guest, Aldolpho, into wooing the bride in an attempt to call off the wedding. However, chorus girl Kitty tries to persuade Feldzieg to hire her as the new leading lady instead of Janet.

Through a series of mishaps and misunderstandings, the wedding is called off and then reinstated multiple times. Ultimately, four weddings are performed by Trix, an aviatrix, from her plane in mid-flight.

Throughout the performance, the Man in Chair provides commentary, lamenting interruptions from a ringing telephone, a power outage, and the building superintendent. He yearns for the simplicity of a musical and the joy of stories with happy endings. While he may not experience this in his own life, he finds comfort, escape, and solace in the recording. This leads us to reflect on the importance of our favorite musicals, songs, books, TV shows, movies, and art in uplifting our spirits and stabilizing our souls when life becomes challenging.

The performances are scheduled for May 2, 3, 9, and 10 at 7 p.m. in the Naselle High School Commons. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $10 for adults, $5 for students, and children 10 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased at the door with cash or check only.