By Andrew Gans
04 Aug 2006

FOR THE RECORD: The Drowsy Chaperone
The Drowsy Chaperone, the hit new musical at the Marquis Theatre, is a show within a show, narrated by Man in Chair (Bob Martin), the musical theatre lover who describes — scene by scene — his favorite Broadway musical, which also happens to be titled The Drowsy Chaperone. The stars of the show — which won one of its five Tony Awards for Best Score (music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison) — all get the chance to shine on the show’s original cast recording, which was recently released on the Ghostlight Records label.

Heading the cast is Tony Award winner Sutton Foster—of Thoroughly Modern Millie fame—as Janet Van De Graaff, the young starlet who vows to give up show business following her wedding to Robert Martin (played by Troy Britton Johnson). Foster lends her crystal-clear, powerful belt to one of the show’s best songs, “Show Off,” and also shines on her duet with co-star Johnson, “Accident Waiting to Happen.” Beth Leavel, the new Tony winner who plays the title role, also delivers the goods in the anthemic “As We Stumble Along,” belting the song with a purposefully overly dramatic force. Danny Burstein is also a standout, drawing laughs with his portrayal of film star Roman Bartelli and his delivery of “I Am Aldolpho.” And, Kecia Lewis-Evans (as Trix, the aviatrix) brings verve and an impressive sound to the musical's penultimate number, the catchy "I Do, I Do in the Sky."

DIVA TIDBITS
Defying Gravity: The Music of Stephen Schwartz is the title of an upcoming evening at Drew University's Concert Hall. Broadway favorites Liz Callaway and Debbie Gravitte as well as cabaret regular Scott Coulter will perform the music of Stephen Schwartz Oct. 7 at the New Jersey venue. Sam Davis will be featured at the piano. Drew University is located in Madison, NJ. For tickets and additional information call (973) 408-3917.

Tony Award winner Christine Ebersole, who will return to Broadway this fall in the new musical Grey Gardens, will offer a special concert to benefit the Actors' Fund of America Sept. 18 at 7:30 PM. The venue for the previously announced concert will be New World Stages, located in Manhattan at 340 West 50th Street. Tony-winning Hairspray composer Marc Shaiman will be the musical director for the one-night-only event. Tickets, priced $100, $250 and $500, are available by calling (212) 221-7300, ext. 133. For more information visit www.actorsfund.org.

Next weekend (Aug. 11-13) Tony and Olivier Award winner Patti LuPone will star in the Ravinia Festival's eagerly awaited production of Gypsy featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Paul Gemignani. She will be joined onstage in the classic Stephen Sondheim-Jule Styne-Arthur Laurents musical by Jack Willis as Herbie, Jessica Boevers as Louise, Jen Temen as June, Leo Ash Evens as Tulsa, Katie Rancourt as Baby Louise, Ashton Smalling as Baby June, Rengin Altay as Miss Cratchitt, Jane Blass as Mazeppa, Debra Watassek as Tessie Tura, Michael Weber as Uncle Jocko/Mr. Goldstone and Richard Henzel as Pop/Kringelein. And, Derin Altay, who succeeded LuPone in the original Broadway company of Evita, will play Electra. Lonny Price directs. . . . Sondheim will join Ravinia Festival president Welz Kauffman for a pre-concert discussion prior to the Aug. 11 concert staging of Gypsy.The pre-concert chat will be held in the Ravinia's Martin Theatre and will also be broadcast to the audiences on the lawn. The discussion is scheduled to begin at 6:45; free tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis to those attending that evening's performance of Gypsy. Visit www.ravinia.org for more information.

Well, that's all for now. Happy diva-watching! E-mail questions or comments to agans@playbill.com.

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