'The Drowsy Chaperone' Opens in San Jose

- "The Drowsy Chaperone" is a Canadian musical that debuted in Toronto in 1998. It went on to a Broadway production in 2006, where it was nominated for 13 Tony Awards and won five, including Best Book and Best Original Score. - The show is a parody of 1920s American musical comedies and features a story-within-a-story structure. A modern-day, agoraphobic musical theatre fan plays a record of his favorite fictional 1928 musical, "The Drowsy Chaperone," which then comes to life in his apartment. - The plot of the fictional 1928 musical involves a Broadway starlet who wants to leave show business to marry an oil tycoon, and the ensuing chaos as her producer tries to stop the wedding. Characters include gangsters disguised as pastry chefs, a vain Latin lover, and the titular "drowsy" (meaning tipsy) chaperone. - CMT's Rising Stars productions feature performers between the ages of 8 and 14. Children's Musical Theater San Jose is the city's oldest operating arts organization and casts every young person who auditions for their Rising Stars and Mainstage shows. - The Montgomery Theater, where the production is being held, is a historic venue built in 1936. With a seating capacity of 468, it offers an intimate viewing experience for audiences. - The music and lyrics for "The Drowsy Chaperone" were written by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, with the book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar.