Blog Prompt 13 Drowsy Chaperone

Last show, y'all!

You do, of course, need to listen to this script as well as read it. You can either purchase the Drowsy Chaperone soundtrack or hear the entire thing here on YouTube, though you'll have to endure various advertisements. Note that some numbers are different (particularly "Bride's Lament" and "Love Is Always Lovely in the End") and that the soundtrack re-orders some of the Man's introductions. Follow along (stumble along?) with the script.

Much like Noises Off, this show's old-timey charm and self-deprecating meta-commentary can make it difficult to analyze. The script gives the impression that the central narrator character ("the Man") is doing all the analysis that's necessary. All anyone else has to do is sit back and enjoy, right?

Well, yes--except for us, dear hearts. As theatre people, we're in charge of producing this bit of postmodern magic, which means we have to account for the Man and his commentary as part of the script. Analyzing The Drowsy Chaperone thus means we're analyzing not the show-within-a-show but the musical as presented.

My question to you: what's the difference in terms of the Hornby model of analysis we've been working with?

For this prompt, suggest how two Hornby elements (choice, sequence, progression, duration, tempo, rhythm, irony/ambiguity/complexity) and/or the unifying principle itself would differ if you were analyzing the show-within-the-show Drowsy Chaperone versus the as-is meta-show The Drowsy Chaperone. Be specific here. Do not say anything like "The musical script is different from the fictional show because it has a Man listening to it an commenting on it all the way through." That's obvious, right? Remember, choice isn't about story; it's about plot. The story here is the Man listening to/recreating the musical. Which parts of that story do the scriptwriters and lyricist choose to stage and how?

In other words, and beneath the "the Man interrupts and tells jokes," what action pattern does the musical The Drowsy Chaperone have that distinguishes it from the fictional DC musical?

See you all Monday--

JF

PS: those in Section 1, you wanted the link to the Scarfolk website (used in class as an illustration for how to create links) left up. Here's the site.