Remembering a sleeper hit
Ken Werther is a CTG Press Associate.
As I anxiously await the opening night of Minsky’s at the Ahmanson, I’ve been taking a mental stroll down memory lane. A little over three years ago, in October 2005, The Drowsy Chaperone, a show no one had ever heard of, was in rehearsal at the Music Center Annex for an early November opening … at the Ahmanson.
A man named Casey Nicholaw (Tony nominated choreographer for his work on Broadway’s Spamalot) was choreographing and directing Drowsy … and he is doing the same on Minsky’s. The star and co-book writer of Drowsy was a man named Bob Martin (writer, comedian and actor, well known in his native Canada) … Bob has written the book for Minsky’s.
Back in 2005, no one had any idea of the true excitement and originality of what was cooking in that rehearsal room … not the public, and not even the CTG staff. Here was a truly new musical, not based on a movie … and to be completely honest, when many of us first heard a few songs from the score, we were mystified. And concerned. What was it about this show that could possibly be so great?
And then came the night of the first preview. It was like a rock concert inside the Ahmanson. The audience’s laughter rolled from the back of the theatre to the front, and back again … repeatedly. The dialogue was hilarious, the songs were snappy and clever, and the performances were comedy gold. After the show, as I stood outside the stage door on the corner of Temple and Grand, amidst a sea of well-wishers whose excitement and joy were being expressed very loudly! I remember thinking to myself, “Wow. This show is going to be a big hit. And this is why I work in this business.” It truly was an indescribable thrill.
The show went on to Broadway, where it was nominated for 13 Tony Awards, the most of any show that season … and it won five. How fantastic that we, CTG, and even I, in some tiny way, were a part of the show’s development and success.
So, now … with the opening of Minsky’s a little less than two weeks away, I wonder if lightning will strike twice in the same place. It rarely does, of course … but I’m thinking (and hoping) it just may this time …
Tags: Minsky's, The Drowsy Chaperone
