“Feeling blue? Here’s what to do.” That’s how Cantor Judy Sofer described the upcoming performance of the musical comedy “The Drowsy Chaperone” she is directing for the Jewish Federation’s JFed Players.
Not unlike this year’s Academy Awards, where many of the nominees were over 50, the production showcases older actors. A cast of predominantly senior, seasoned actors bewitches the audience with a cosmically comedic, toe-tapping musical performance.
Juxtaposed with talented ingenues singing and dancing their hearts out, the multi-generational cast ensures no one will be feeling blue when they leave the theater.
The Drowsy Chaperone character, played by veteran Altadena actress and artist Karen Brown, has a gift for entrances that always makes me laugh. Her interactions with the young bride-to-be, portrayed by Wendy Otto, the sweet-voiced actress from Tujunga, provide one of the show’s many unexpected delights.
The overlying story is about a man who is a fan of vintage musicals and who suffers from non-specific sadness. He decides to cheer himself up by playing a record of the 1928 Broadway musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone.” As soon as the needle on his record player hits the recording, the show explodes into fun-filled chaos as he imagines the entire cast parading into his apartment.
My later husband, George, a founding member of the JFed Players, was a man who never felt blue in a theater. Especially this one.
“I feel more at home on stage than anywhere else,” he used to say.
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Whenever I see a JFed Players production, I imagine the roles he might have played. The stage always seems a little empty without him. But for this show, he will be back on stage with the theater ensemble he loved.
When George passed away, The JFed Players honored his memory with the dedication of a director’s chair with the inscription “George Roegler, Always on Stage.” His chair is part of the production and is on stage for all performances.
Performances are Saturdays, April 15, 22 and 29 at 8 PM; Sundays, April 16 and 23 at 3 PM and Thursdays, April 20 and 27 at 7:30 PM at Porticos Art Space, 2033 E. Washington Blvd, Pasadena
Tickets www.jewishsgpv.org or 626-445-0810
Email [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @patriciabunin.