Newberg High’s next play promises silly, goofy fun

Newberg High School theater director Mike McConaughey’s take on the school’s next play, “The Drowsy Chaperone Jr.,” is that the musical is simply hilarious.

“It is an upbeat comedy and it’s going to be a lot of fun,” he said, adding that attending the production will support the hard work students have done to stage it.

The play is the work of 35 to 40 students, including the 27 upperclassmen taking the school’s musical theater class, which, as the name suggests, involves producing a musical.

So, what’s this student production all about?

The “Jr.” at the end indicates it’s a condensed version of the original production, about one hour long, but the basic plot remains the same. It depicts a man that plays a record of his favorite Broadway musical, a fictional musical from 1928 called “The Drowsy Chaperone.” Engaging the audience, as if he were playing the record for them, he narrates the story with humor.

Starlet Janet Van De Graff is marrying oil tycoon Robert Martin. While they prep for their wedding, drama ensues around the interaction of the quirky characters: Van De Graff’s sleepy chaperone, a glamorous aviatrix and gangsters disguised as pastry chefs.

“It’s a show within a show; I love the way it plays on itself. It’s not afraid to be silly or goofy — we have all the creative freedom we want,” said senior Hudson Moore, who plays Broadway producer Victor Feldzieg.

Junior Audrey Harris, who plays Van De Graff, commented that the actors revel in the freestyle format of the play: “When it comes to creative freedom, I get to do a ton of voice inflection and there is a part where I get to have a really bad French accent.”

If you want to see something short and funny while supporting the students who are staging the show in Drea Ferguson Auditorium, there will be ample opportunity. The production is set for 7 p.m. May 9-11, with a matinee set for 2 p.m. May 11. The cost is $8 per student and $10 per adult. Tickets are available at the door or in advance at the rankone.com website.

While this performance will wrap up soon, the curtain’s not going down on NHS theater yet this year. There’s one more hurrah, the Tournament of Plays, a one-act competition set for 7 p.m. May 23-25.