Laughter is guaranteed for anyone who goes to see "The Drowsy Chaperone" Wednesday in the Honeywell Center's Ford Theater in Wabash.
"I would just come ready to laugh and have a tremendously good time," said actor Bradley Allan Zarr in an interview Wednesday afternoon. "The show goes by so quickly."
Zarr plays the role of Robert Martin, the romantic lead, in the musical. He landed the role right after graduating college in 2009.
"I'm thrilled. I'm absolutely thrilled to be in the show," he said.
In 2006, the musical won five Tony Awards, the most of any show that year. The two biggest Tony Awards it picked up were for Best Score and Best Book.
"The show has a lot of heart to it. The music is so much fun. The lyrics are hilarious," said Zarr.
"The Drowsy Chaperone" features a plot within a plot, Zarr said.
The main character, called The Man in Chair, wants to cure his loneliness and sadness, so he listens to a recording of the fictional 1928 musical comedy "The Drowsy Chaperone". As he listens to the record, it comes alive in his apartment, Zarr said.
In the show-within-a-show, Janet Vandegraff, a showgirl, is looking to give up the stage in order to marry an oil tycoon, Robert Martin (Zarr). However, Janet is the star of a show and a lot of money is riding on her name to sell the show. Her producer is being threatened by gangsters, employed by his chief investor. Many other characters come in and out of the show.
"There's non-stop jokes. It's appropriate for all ages," said Zarr.
Martin, he said, is your typical leading man, like Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. To prepare for the role, he watched a lot of older movies, including Kelly and Astaire films.
Zarr also had to learn to skate again. Every night, he pulls out the skates and gets some more practice in.
"There is a really fun tap dance number in the show. It's a tap duet with my best man, George, and I'm the groom," Zarr said.
The whole show is pretty physically taxing, he said, but he enjoys it.
"It's such a joy to perform. You don't really think about it," he said.
At only 1 hour, 40 minutes long, the show also isn't a typical Broadway show.
"This is the second leg of the tour. I have been with the show since January when the second leg opened," said Zarr, who is based out of New York.
The company is touring the country by bus. Zarr said learning to sleep on the bus is a new and different experience for him. However, the cast is fun to be with and is one big family.
Some weeks they do up to nine shows a week, and that can be trying. However, no one ever gets too tired that they forget their lines or anything like that, he said. As an actor, it's their job to get it and keep it together.
"This show in particular is so much fun, so exciting," he said. "The moment you hear the overture, you just get right into it."
As for a favorite song of the show, Zarr said his favorite is not any that he sings. He enjoys the number "As We Stumble Along". Another good number is "Show Off," he said.
"They're so funny. If I get the chance to watch it on the wings, I do. I've done the show this long, but I still enjoy getting a kick out of it," he said.
"This whole cast is completely and utterly prepared for their roles, and I think they do them brilliantly," he said.
Besides singing and dancing, "The Drowsy Chaperone" features lots of flips, jumping through hoops, rolling skating and gangsters.
"It's really a good show," Zarr said."The Drowsy Chaperone" is a one-act musical with a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar. Music and lyrics are by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. It debuted in 1998 and opened on Broadway on May 1, 2006.
The show starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Ford Theater, Wabash. Tickets are $20, $35 and $45, with a half-price discount for youth through high school.
All tickets may be purchased at the box office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 260-563-1102; visit www.honeywellcenter.org; or dial *tix from a Centennial Wireless phone to order tickets.
