Live theater is coming back to Bedford High School.
A little more than 20 months after the 2000 spring musical was left at the altar by the arrival of Covid-19, the BHS Performing Arts Department will present the musical comedy The Drowsy Chaperone Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 18-21, in Buckley Auditorium. The first three shows start at 7; the Sunday performance is at 3. The production runs for 90 minutes.
Audience members can watch in person or via live stream from home. Tickets are available at https://bhschorusandtheater.weebly.com/tickets.html.
Face covering will be required for everyone in the hall, including performers on stage, said Katrina Faulstich, the Performing Arts Department’s choral and theater director. (The show is not exempt from the Board of Health indoor mask mandate.)
“We would rather err on the side of caution,” she said. “This is safest for everyone and we don’t want to have it canceled or postponed.” Rehearsals are masked as well.
There is no precedent for a fall musical at BHS. Historically, there have been dramatic productions in November, such as the Tournament of Plays. But the pandemic has cost the community two live musicals (Les Misérables was filmed last spring), so Faulstich thought it would be appropriate to add this one.
“We always get a much bigger audience for the March show,” Faulstich said. “I want to encourage audience members to see both. What an opportunity to support our program, which has been really hard hit over the past couple of years.”
Faulstich continued, “We are doing The Drowsy Chaperone, a lesser-known musical, and in March we will be doing Mamma Mia. This is going to be just as high quality as our March musical normally is. You get to see two amazing musicals by high-school students.”
“The Drowsy Chaperone is a musical comedy that features a show-within-a-show,” Faulstich related. “An eccentric character named ‘Man in Chair’ leads the audience through one of his favorite records: the fictional 1920s musical called The Drowsy Chaperone. The show comes to life in his apartment, and Man in Chair shows us how art can imitate life.”
“This show is a wonderful celebration of the beautiful (and not-so-beautiful) elements of musicals from the 1920s era, and most importantly it will make you laugh and be entertained.” She noted that the show is rated PG-13.
Twenty students are participating in the cast and orchestra, and several of their compatriots comprise the crew.
Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763
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