‘Chaperone’ goes to Broadway

“The Drowsy Chaperone,” a faux-1920s musical that had its U.S. premiere at the Ahmanson Theatre in November, is going to Broadway.

The show, which originated as a sleeper hit at the 1998 Toronto Fringe Festival, will open May 1 at the Marquis Theatre in New York. It is directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw with music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison and book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar. Previews begin April 3.

The 17-member company, featuring the same stars as in L.A., includes Martin, Tony Award-winner Sutton Foster (“Thoroughly Modern Millie”), Troy Britton Johnson, Beth Leavel, Danny Burstein, Georgia Engel and Edward Hibbert.

“It is the only completely original musical on Broadway this year -- it is not from source material, it was created from thin air,” Kevin McCollum, one of the producers, said Wednesday.

The creators are continuing to tinker with the book, lyrics and music, he said, and producers are considering new ways of marketing a show whose title provides no brand recognition. But, he added, the key is word-of-mouth: “I really think people will not know whether it’s ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ or ‘The Droopy Xylophone’ -- they’ll just know whether they’ve seen a good show.”

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-- Diane Haithman