The student theater group Cast N’ Crew will be presenting “The Drowsy Chaperone” this weekend in the Village Black Box Theatre, starting Nov. 2. “Drowsy” parodies 1920s American musical comedy through witty, fourth-wall-breaking narration by “Man in Chair” and humorous musical numbers.

A show within a show, “The Drowsy Chaperone” focuses on the narrator (a die-hard Broadway fan) as he introduces us, the audience, to his favorite, yet virtually unknown musical, while it plays on his record player. As he starts and stops the record, he makes commentary on the various vaudeville aspects and gives us background information on the actors in the show, creating commentary that both informs and entertains.

Isabella Neubauer | Student Life

Cast members sing onstage during a scene in “The Drowsy Chaperone”, Cast N’ Crew’s fall performance. Cast N’ Crew exec chose the musical for its touching, yet comical, themes and songs.

Leading lady and ingenue Janet van de Graaff is engaged to Robert Martin and, therefore, must leave the life of glitz and glamor behind as the play begins—post-Man in Chair monologue—at the home of one Mrs. Tottendale. Threatened by two gangsters disguised as pastry chefs, Mr. Feldzieg, the producer of “Feldzieg’s Follies,” works to break up the couple so that Janet can continue to be his leading lady, despite the protest of Kitty, the talentless budding starlet. The Drowsy Chaperone, the slightly alcoholic titular character of the musical, acts as Janet’s maid of honor and chaperone so that she does not see her husband on the day of the wedding. But things don’t always go as planned.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” follows the ups and downs of Janet and Robert’s relationship as well as the relationships of the Drowsy Chaperone and Aldolpho, the European ladies’ man, Mrs. Tottendale and her butler, and Kitty and Mr. Feldzieg.

“Cast N’ Crew was my first show ever at Washington University…coming back [to Cast N’ Crew] senior year has been so much fun,” senior Carly Rosenbaum, who plays leading lady Janet, said.

Isabella Neubauer | Student Life

Carly Rosenbaum and Kate Wardenburg perform in “The Drowsy Chaperone”. The show, which takes place in the 1920s, is a musical comedy that follows multiple relationships at once.

Both Rosenbaum and the show’s director, junior Zoey Miller, have deep connections to the show, coming in contact with it in high school.

Miller came to be the director because she “loves the show and wanted to have a big part in it,” which prompted her to apply.

“[I] did [‘Drowsy’] in high school and always wanted to…get to do this amazing show,” Rosenbaum said. “To come back [my senior year] and get to play Janet and get to work on this hilarious comedy that’s also a musical; it’s just everything you could ask for.”

Each year, the Cast N’ Crew chooses the show they’re going to produce. “The Drowsy Chaperone” was chosen in part because of its “huge cast, [the fact that] it’s well-known and [the executive board] wanted to do something not like what we normally do,” Miller said. “We thought that it was a show that is such a beautiful combination of being very, very funny but also has some really heartwarming moments.”

Isabella Neubauer | Student Life

Actors Nathan Mester and Kate Wardenburg pose as Adolpho and Drowsy Chaperone. The performance will be held in the Village Black Box Theatre this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” is a story of love, loss, fame and a wedding—or four. Combining modern elements with a tap show set during 1920s prohibition, “Drowsy” brings the audience into the sad living room of a Broadway fanatic while he takes us through the ups and downs of his favorite musical.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” opens this Friday, Nov. 2 and closes on Sunday, Nov. 4. Performances will be at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $5 in the Danforth University Center.