THE DROWSY CHAPERONE opens in Los Angeles

A hilarious new musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” opened Friday, November 18 at 8 p.m. in its pre-Broadway engagement at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre. “The Drowsy Chaperone,” directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, is a witty love letter to the extravagant musicals of the 1920s, with music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison and book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar.

Bound to elicit hoots of laughter, “The Drowsy Chaperone” also depicts with much affection such characters as the glamorous showgirl (played by the Tony Award-winning Sutton Foster), who is giving up the stage for love and marriage; her debonair fiancé (Troy Britton Johnson); her world-weary and scene-stealing chaperone (Beth Leavel); the nervous best man (Eddie Korbich); the dotty dowager (Georgia Engel) who owns the estate where the wedding is to take place; the dowager’s sardonic servant (Edward Hibbert); the scheming producer (Lenny Wolpe) who doesn’t want to lose his star; and the dizzy chorine (Jennifer Smith) who’d like to replace the star. Adding to the fun are a Latin lover (Danny Burstein), a pair of gangsters posing as pastry chefs (Garth Kravits and Jason Kravits), and an aviatrix (Kecia Lewis-Evans).

Performances of “The Drowsy Chaperone” will run through December 24. Tickets for are available by calling (213) 628-2772 or online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org. Tickets can also be obtained in person at the Center Theatre Group box office at the Music Center.

For discounted tickets, Hot Tix at $20 each can be purchased on the day of performance at the box office (cash only). The Ahmanson Theatre is located downtown at the Los Angeles Music Center.