1st Night Photos: Paige Perky at Drowsy Opening

Elaine Paige made her long-awaited West End return last night (6 June 2007, following previews from 14 May) in the UK premiere of Broadway hit The Drowsy Chaperone at the Novello Theatre. Alongside Canadian Bob Martin, who makes his London debut in the show he co-wrote, Paige returned to the West End stage after an absence of seven years.

A parody of 1920s romantic musicals, The Drowsy Chaperone begins with a modern-day musical theatre addict (Martin) who, to chase his blues away, drops the needle on his favourite LP, the 1928 musical comedy The Drowsy Chaperone. From the crackle of his hi-fi, the musical bursts to life on stage, telling the tale of a pampered Broadway starlet who wants to give up show business to get married, her producer who sets out to sabotage the nuptials, her chaperone (Paige), the debonair groom, the dizzy chorine, the Latin lover and a pair of gangsters who double as pastry chefs.

The Drowsy Chaperone also features Summer Strallen, Nickolas Grace, John Partridge, Selina Chilton, Joseph Alessi, Anne Rogers, Nick Holder, Enyoman Gbesmete, Cameron Jack, Adam Stafford, Sean Kinglsey. It has music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison and a book by Don McKellar and Martin. Broadway’s Casey Nicholaw, who made his West End debut with his choreography on Spamalot, both choreographs and directs.

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For 1st Night Photos, our Whatsonstage.com photographer Dan Wooller was on hand for the curtain call at the Novello Theatre and at the post-show party at the Waldorf Hilton along with the company and other first night guests including Paul O’Grady, Angela Rippon, Tamzin Outhwaite, Tom Ellis, David Ian, Michael Ball, Faith Prince, Steve Pemberton, Diane Langton, Steve Pemberton, Dave Clark and Dancing on Ice judge Jason Gardiner.

The Drowsy Chaperone, which started life in 1998 as a sketch for a stag do in Toronto, opened at the Marquis Theatre in New York in May last year and won five 2006 Tony Awards, including Best Book and Best Score, seven Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical, four Outer Critics’ Circle Awards including Outstanding Score and the Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical.

The musical is designed by David Gallo, with costumes by Gregg Barnes, and lighting by Ken Billington and Brian Monahan, sound design by Acme Sound Partners, orchestrations by Larry Blank and dance and incidental music arrangements by Glen Kelly. It’s presented in the West End by Kevin McCollum, Roy Miller, Bob Boyett, Stephanie McClelland, Barbara Freitag and Jill Furman.

- by Jake Brunger

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