SHEFFIELD – The Ritz Theatre’s production of the musical comedy The Drowsy Chaperone continues through another weekend, with performances on July 15 and 16 at 7:30 p.m. and on July 17 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets for Drowsy, as well as season tickets, are available now at tennesseevalleyarts.org.
The Drowsy Chaperone is a high-energy, large-ensemble musical that features one show-stopping song-and-dance number after another. The play takes on a “show within a show” format and bears thLe tagline “A Musical Within a Comedy.”
Jacob Skinner, who plays one of the show’s main characters, says it’s been particularly fun to portray “a character playing a character.”
Skinner’s character, Robert Martin, is “a former toothpaste model who only got cast in a musical because of his looks.” Skinner says this hilarious role has been a great way to return to the stage, after focusing on film work since graduating from the University of North Alabama.
Another star of the show is Larissa Huissen, a Wisconsin native, who loves The Drowsy Chaperone for both its energy and its thoughtfulness. “This is a fun show,” says Huissen.
“The musical numbers are jazzy and there’s a lot of tap dancing. Think Gene Kelly or
Fred Astaire. But there’s also a sneaky depth to this show.”
The story, which is set in the 1920s, “forces us to examine our relationship with nostalgia,” says Huissen. “Have you ever looked back at a song or movie and thought to yourself, ‘that did not age well’?”
Huissen believes that audiences will “walk away from this show with stitches in their side from laughing” while also being encouraged to “examine the content we consume in private.”
Tickets for The Drowsy Chaperone are $15-$25, and are available online at or at the door. Season tickets are also available, which allow patrons to see 6 plays for $80. People who have already purchased tickets for Drowsy and want to upgrade to season tickets can call 256-383-0533.
