'THE DROWSY CHAPERONE' AND 'CABARET' AT BOSTON CHILDREN'S THEATRE

Grab a seat in the air conditioned theater and be transported back to the glorious Jazz Age with a stop in raucous 1930’s Berlin. The award winning Boston Children’s Theatre (BCT) proudly presents two of theater’s most compelling musicals, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE and CABARET in rotating productions August 4 through August 7 at Shore Country Day School in Beverly, MA.

Performed by 67 students between the ages of 14 and 19 in BCT’s pre-professional summer training program, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE and CABARET illustrate BCT’s diverse musical range and depth of talent. “We have such dynamic casts for both productions with each student bringing his or her own unique qualities to these iconic musicals,” said BCT Executive Artistic Director Burgess Clark. “As the director of The Drowsy Chaperone, I am honored to work side-by-side with legendary Broadway actress Danielle Ferland who is directing BCT’s production of Cabaret. Together we have the pleasure of bringing these productions to life with dedicated, insightful, and immensely talented students.”

With music John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, CABARET takes audiences inside the seedy Kit Kat Klub of Weimar-era Berlin, where lives intertwine as a cabaret singer, an expat American writer and other misfits and outcasts come together to escape a world growing more dangerous by the day. Led by the enigmatic Emcee and charismatic singer Sally Bowles, the colorful characters of this musical-theater masterpiece will entertain you with beloved numbers like "Don't Tell Mama," "Willkommen" and "Cabaret." Directed by Broadway actress Danielle Ferland, who originated the role of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, CABARET features choreography by Nicole Soriano and musical direction by David Coleman.

In THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, a modern-day theater addict puts his favorite musical on the record player to chase the blues away, only to have the story come to life right there in his apartment. In the show-within-the-show that ensues, a pampered Broadway starlet's plans for marriage are upset by a scheming producer, setting off a wild plot involving a chaperone, a Latin lover and gangsters who double as pastry chefs. Bubbling over with wit, thrills and glorious song and dance, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE is directed by BCT Executive Artistic Director Burgess Clark, with choreography by Nicole Soriano and musical direction by Austin Davy.

CABARET and THE DROWSY CHAPERONE feature the talents of 65 young actors from 46 area communities and Luxembourg, including Amesbury student Julia Yameen; Arlington students Clara Hevia and Marshall Joun; Beverly student Olivia Tyner; Boxford student Charlotte Wallace; Brighton student Joshua Mooiweer; Burlington students Patrick Creedon and Sasha Festi; Byfield student Miles Tardy; Chelmsford students Gabriella Huggler and Jake Wetmore; Danvers resident Ivy O’Connell; Dorchester student Henry Hutchinson; Georgetown resident Isabella Berkeley; Gloucester students Ts Burnham, Cheyn Cole, Raphael Gordon, Shayla Jamieson, Dylan Kerr; and Hattie Rich; Groveland students Tia Apicella and Chloe Webster; Hamilton students Bryn Smith and Lily Wainwright; Jamaica Plain student Shayna Bredbeck; Lawrence students Genesis Toledo and Christopher Vega; Lexington student Chloe Thorburn; Lowell student Elsa Keefe; Lynnfield student Abby Berry; Malden student Katie Roeder; Manchester students Margaret McFadden and Rory Shaw; Marblehead student Penelope Walker; Marlborough, CT student James La Bella; Medford students Molly Fenn, Carl Kleifgen, Genevieve McCarthy, Sarah Pollock, and Francesca Viggiani; Melrose student Michael Saracco; Milton student Patrick Comer; Needham student Jake Orozco-Herman; Newbury student Eleanor Faria; Newburyport students Maggie Budzyna and Berit Palma; Newton resident Tea Baum; Quincy students Alexander Cox, Jennifer Small and Billy O’Brien; Rockport student Alex Strzemilowski; Salem student Elizabeth Pasquale; South Boston student Ally Antonelli; Stoneham student Francesca Foti; Sudbury student Owen Sherrin; Tyngsborough students Jamie Cayer, Teresa Gelsomini, Taylor O’Connell, and James Robson; Wellesley Hills student Keith Robinson; Wenham student Theodore Gyra; Winchester student Denise Morova; and five students from Luxembourg, Idde Boukcha, Nathalie Lavandier and Sam Michels and Maite Wiltgen.

Performances of CABARET are Thursday, August 4 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, August 6 at 8 pm, and Sunday, August 6 at 2 pm. THE DROWSY CHAPERONE will be performed Friday, August 5 at 8 pm, Saturday, August 6 at 2 pm and Sunday, August 7 at 7 pm. Both musicals will be performed at Shore Country Day School, 545 Cabot Street, Beverly, MA. For tickets and information, visit www.bostonchildrenstheatre.org or call 617-424-6634, x222.

CABARET is presented through special arrangement with Tams-Witmark and THE DROWSY CHAPERONE is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). Both productions are supported by WGBH, BCT’s 2016 Presenting Sponsor.

About Boston Children’s Theatre

For over 60 years, Boston Children’s Theatre has served as one of the region’s premier not-for-profit theaters. An Elliot Norton Award winning theatre, BCT has been named Best of Boston® 2013 and 2012 by Boston Magazine for Best Children’s Theatre. BCT’s mission is to provide access to exceptional theatrical experiences dedicated to fostering the artistic and personal development of diverse youth, with a focus on professional training and the development of new works. Programs at Boston Children’s Theatre provide a unique chance for self-discovery and individual expression in a supportive and productive environment. At BCT, talented and motivated students gather from across traditional boundaries and nationalities to learn about themselves, each other and the world, as they create some of the finest theatrical productions in New England. www.bostonchildrenstheatre.org