Dramaturg's Note
Drowsy and the 1920s: Culture, Escapism, and Musicals
Drowsy was originally created as a wedding present to soon-to-be book writer (and Man in Chair) Bob Martin and his wife, whose name was Janet van de Graaff. Lisa Lambert, Don McKellar, Greg Morrison, and a few of their mutual friends put together a satirical musical performance about the bride and groom in the style of vaudeville revues and 1920s musical theatre. Soon enough, Martin, Lambert, McKellar, and Morrison went on to develop the show into a full-length musical, adding Man in Chair as a framing device. It was their goal as a creative team to use Drowsy as a way to return to a more pure and less complicated form of entertainment, one that was truly a love letter to the 1920s musical genre.
Something incredibly important to understand is that in the 1920s, the arts and entertainment industries were crucial to American culture. We had just finished World War I, the country was unstable economically and culturally, and generations of young men had died fighting. This set of circumstances directly fed into the American people’s need for escapist entertainment. Solemnity and seriousness were out, and fun and spectacle were in. In addition to new and exciting styles in fashion, art, music, and dance, theatre evolved as well. For instance, the musical comedy found its footing as an excuse to just forget about life for a while and have fun.
Stylistically, these musicals grew out of the style of vaudeville revues, which tended to include upwards of 10 unrelated acts simply meant to entertain their audiences and to showcase the talents of the performers involved. This led to a greater emphasis on performance and character and less of one on plot and depth of story. The celebrity of film and vaudeville stars wound up being more important than what was actually going on, as parts were often created for (or even by) such stars. Because these performances were so character-driven, that meant these characters were often larger than life, even riffing on ethnic stereotypes at times. In fact, much of the time, if you were an actor of color or an actor who was vaguely ethnically ambiguous, you were likely to be cast pretty much exclusively as people of color, regardless of whether your own ethnicity was the same as that of the character. Thus, in Drowsy we have a (fictional) actor like Roman Bartelli who can be cast in one show as the Latin lover type character Aldolpho and in another show as an Asian emperor.
Despite these casting issues, however, in many ways the musical theatre genre was built on the backs of people who were considered racially other, particularly Jews. Despite the anti-Semitism of the time, Jewish composers, lyricists, and performers flourished in the 1920s, creating shows that weren’t outwardly Jewish in nature but rather that integrated Jewish themes into more mainstream storylines. Irving Berlin, a Jewish composer and lyricist, was and still is one of the most influential songwriters in American history. Berlin wrote hundreds of songs, some for Broadway shows, some for Hollywood films, and others that just went on to be hits on their own. Very quickly, the songs of this Russian-Jewish immigrant grew to be so quintessentially American that he wrote “God Bless America” to mark the 20th anniversary of ending World War I, plus many songs specifically for the men fighting in World War II. Berlin even wrote the song “White Christmas,” which went on to be extremely commercially successful – the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time. All this from a Jewish composer.
In talking to Marcia in the last couple of months, there has been a significant focus on actual historical figures such as Irving Berlin. It is incredibly important, we think, to ground the play and the characters in the lives of real artists and performers of the 1920s. Thus, each of you should have, at the very least, one historical inspiration off of which to build. There are three levels of understanding here: the fictional character you play in The Drowsy Chaperone, the fictional actor that Man in Chair talks about who plays that character, and the real people who inspired those fictional actors. I know this sounds confusing, but luckily the website has it all organized for your convenience. You may have noticed that if you go to the Characters page on the website and click on your character’s name, there may be a few different kinds of information available. At the top, if applicable, is information on the fictional actor. Below that would be actual historical inspirations for said fictional actor.
There is plenty of additional information about this and much more on the website, plus I will be accessible for questions in the rehearsal room as well as via email throughout the entire process. Do not hesitate to reach out.
Emma McIntosh, Dramaturg
Something incredibly important to understand is that in the 1920s, the arts and entertainment industries were crucial to American culture. We had just finished World War I, the country was unstable economically and culturally, and generations of young men had died fighting. This set of circumstances directly fed into the American people’s need for escapist entertainment. Solemnity and seriousness were out, and fun and spectacle were in. In addition to new and exciting styles in fashion, art, music, and dance, theatre evolved as well. For instance, the musical comedy found its footing as an excuse to just forget about life for a while and have fun.
Stylistically, these musicals grew out of the style of vaudeville revues, which tended to include upwards of 10 unrelated acts simply meant to entertain their audiences and to showcase the talents of the performers involved. This led to a greater emphasis on performance and character and less of one on plot and depth of story. The celebrity of film and vaudeville stars wound up being more important than what was actually going on, as parts were often created for (or even by) such stars. Because these performances were so character-driven, that meant these characters were often larger than life, even riffing on ethnic stereotypes at times. In fact, much of the time, if you were an actor of color or an actor who was vaguely ethnically ambiguous, you were likely to be cast pretty much exclusively as people of color, regardless of whether your own ethnicity was the same as that of the character. Thus, in Drowsy we have a (fictional) actor like Roman Bartelli who can be cast in one show as the Latin lover type character Aldolpho and in another show as an Asian emperor.
Despite these casting issues, however, in many ways the musical theatre genre was built on the backs of people who were considered racially other, particularly Jews. Despite the anti-Semitism of the time, Jewish composers, lyricists, and performers flourished in the 1920s, creating shows that weren’t outwardly Jewish in nature but rather that integrated Jewish themes into more mainstream storylines. Irving Berlin, a Jewish composer and lyricist, was and still is one of the most influential songwriters in American history. Berlin wrote hundreds of songs, some for Broadway shows, some for Hollywood films, and others that just went on to be hits on their own. Very quickly, the songs of this Russian-Jewish immigrant grew to be so quintessentially American that he wrote “God Bless America” to mark the 20th anniversary of ending World War I, plus many songs specifically for the men fighting in World War II. Berlin even wrote the song “White Christmas,” which went on to be extremely commercially successful – the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time. All this from a Jewish composer.
In talking to Marcia in the last couple of months, there has been a significant focus on actual historical figures such as Irving Berlin. It is incredibly important, we think, to ground the play and the characters in the lives of real artists and performers of the 1920s. Thus, each of you should have, at the very least, one historical inspiration off of which to build. There are three levels of understanding here: the fictional character you play in The Drowsy Chaperone, the fictional actor that Man in Chair talks about who plays that character, and the real people who inspired those fictional actors. I know this sounds confusing, but luckily the website has it all organized for your convenience. You may have noticed that if you go to the Characters page on the website and click on your character’s name, there may be a few different kinds of information available. At the top, if applicable, is information on the fictional actor. Below that would be actual historical inspirations for said fictional actor.
There is plenty of additional information about this and much more on the website, plus I will be accessible for questions in the rehearsal room as well as via email throughout the entire process. Do not hesitate to reach out.
Emma McIntosh, Dramaturg