BVA students display unique skills in ‘Drowsy Chaperone’

The musical comedy features roller skating, tap dancing and much more.

Belle Vernon Area High School students will become stars during this year’s annual spring musical of the “Drowsy Chaperone.”

From gangsters to roller skating fun, “The Drowsy Chaperone” is a musical within a musical. The Broadway production of the show won multiple Tony Awards in 2007.

“We’re very excited, like this year, we have so many seniors with talent,” said producer Mark Surovchak. “And we try to pick a show to showcase everybody, we do feel strongly that this show did allow for every student to have a place to shine.”

Opening night for The Drowsy Chaperone will be Thursday at 7 p.m. The show will continue at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with a matinee performance at 2 p.m. Sunday.

The musical, set in the 1920s, has a bit of a twist with the main narrator, Man in Chair (Dominic Celaschi), narrating his favorite musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone.” That brings the characters to his apartment to play out the rest of the show.

The musical also follows the shenanigans of Robert (Luciano Lopez) and Janet (Abby Showman) as they sing and roller skate across the stage.

“It has lots of high-energy choreography, jazz music, elements of roller skating,” Surovchak said. “But it’s one of those shows that it’s going to have you laughing, it is going to have you applauding at what they’re doing and there’s a lot of great energy.”

Lopez agreed and said his role has involved a lot of moving parts, but he’s excited to show off his roller skating skills to the audience.

“I do kind of wacky stuff, as in, like roller skating and tapping, which is something I haven’t really done before,” Lopez said, “but being able to take on that part and showing people who just started this year and are just joining as to show them you can do whatever they throw at you, even if it is difficult, as long as you put your mind to it.”

Celaschi, Lopez and Showman are all seniors and this is their last time under the spotlight on the high school stage. Despite the bittersweet moment, they’re still excited for this year’s show.

“Personally, being my senior year, I’m really appreciative that I get to have a leading role again and be able to pass my knowledge on to the groups coming up,” Showman said. “I’m just really grateful that I get to continue the culture on for as many years as possible.”

Auditions for the musical were held in December and the cast has been preparing ever since. Each week, they work on their music, staging, choreography and hold orchestra rehearsals.

Surovchak said they chose “The Drowsy Chaperone” to showcase all the students’ talents and want to focus on the whole cast instead of a single person.

“As opposed to picking one person to build a show around, we build a show around everybody who we have,” Surovchak said. “Fortunately, there’s this show out there that allows for so many students to have not just developmental roles, they’re truly lead roles and even some of the supporting roles are still pretty substantial roles, too.”

Celaschi found his role of Man in Chair a little intimidating at the beginning, but he said he’s grown into it and is ready for the show.

“At first I was kind of scared because I opened page one of the script and there’s just two full pages of me going on and on, and it’s just like, I’m talking throughout the whole show,” Celaschi said. “And I was like, ‘Oh my God,’ but it’s really fun and I’m very excited to be able to perform the role finally.”

Showman, Celaschi and Lopez said teamwork has been essential to prepare the musical, and the entire cast has grown closer in the process. Showman added that support has been a key part to their process this year.

“You have to support each other, and you have to make sure everybody feels good in what they’re doing,” Showman said. “You can’t have anyone who feels less than, everybody needs to feel good about the show, and that is the most important to having a good culture and making sure no one feels left out.”

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students. They can be purchased in person at the show or online at www.bvabroadway.com.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” cast list: Dominic Celaschi (Man in Chair); Abby Showman (Janet); Luciano Lopez (Robert); Sarah Shenouda (The Drowsy Chaperone); Benjamin Bowman (George); Cameron Evans (Aldolpho); Daleah Mowat (Mrs. Tottendale); Jacob Brassart (Underling); Natalie Sokol (Kitty); Kenneth Marsh III (Feldzieg); Levi Barkley, Alexa Gray, Seth McDivitt, Natalie Palenchar and Peighton Wessel (Gangsters); Areyanah Bobbs (Trix the Aviatrix); Spencer Anderson (Superintendent); Ashlyn Kotch (Reporter 1); Kyle McDivitt (Reporter 2); Peyton Chalus and Ally Peden (Dance Captains); Sean Allshouse, Cody Anderson, Alex Bird, Sarah Callaway, Stephen Crawford, Peyton Durdevich, Tyler Kulasa, Natalie Longnecker, Wyatt Lukas, Daniel Mowat, Randall Munsky, Jake Ziolkowski (sound/ light/stage crew).

“As opposed to picking one person to build a show around, we build a show around everybody who we have.”

MARK SUROVCHAK

PRODUCER