The Drowsy Chaperone

In the fall of 2012, I designed costumes for the MIT Musical Theater Guild's production of The Drowsy Chaperone. In this musical, a Man is feeling gloomy and puts on a record of his favorite show to cheer himself up, the 1928 musical The Drowsy Chaperone...full of glamour and drama and humor. As he plays the record, the show comes to life in his apartment.

Characters include the Broadway star who's giving up a successful career to get married...

...the producer and the chorus girl who wants to become the brand new star...

...a Latin lover and the bride's "drowsy" chaperone...

...even a pair of gangsters disguised as pastry chefs.

My design for the show primarily incorporated elegant shades of gray, black, and silver, with pops of color to pull out the leading characters. We intended to evoke the 1920's as seen through the mind of a man from the 1990's, skewed by black and white photographs. I was responsible for designing the costumes and carrying out their realization for the stage, including construction of several key pieces.

All rehearsal photos by Jax Kirtley

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