This winter quarter, the UC Davis Department of Theatre and Dance presents the hilarious, Tony Award winning musical The Drowsy Chaperone, a loving send-up of the golden age of the Broadway musical.
“The Drowsy Chaperone is thriving in a collaborative environment, with students, guest artists and faculty all bringing creativity and commitment to the process,” said director and choreographer Rhett Guter, the winter 2026 Granada Artist-in-Residence in the Department of Theatre and Dance. “Working with students as they step into the rhythm and energy of musical theater — seeing the choreography come alive and the production unfold — is as thrilling as it is magical.”
See 'The Drowsy Chaperone' on Stage at UC Davis
Performances will be at the Main Theatre, Wright Hall, on Feb. 26, 27, 28 and March 5, 6 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 28 and March 7 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $22 for adults; $18 faculty and staff; $18 youth or seniors; $12 senior or UC Davis students. Tickets may be purchased at the UC Davis Ticket Office, located on the north side of Aggie Stadium, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, by phone 530-752-2471 during the same hours, or online at arts.ucdavis.edu/DrowsyChaperone.
Featuring an original book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar with music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, The Drowsy Chaperone pokes fun at all the tropes that characterize the musical theater genre. As the show opens, a lonely man plays his favorite cast recording, The Drowsy Chaperone, a fictitious 1928 musical. He tells the audience about the musical, which comes to life in his sparse apartment. The plot features two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theater producer, a scatterbrained hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, an egotistical Don Juan and an intoxicated chaperone; combining to create madcap delight.
Guter’s choreography has earned him a Joseph Jefferson Award nomination for his innovative work on West Side Story at Chicago’s Drury Lane Theatre and a Broadway World Best Choreography Award for Cabaret at PCPA. His choreography credits include: The Music Man, Anything Goes, and Peter and the Starcatcher at the Tony Award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival; Bat Boy at the Griffin Theatre; and A Christmas Story: The Musical at the Paramount Theatre. Last year he played Rooster in the national tour of Annie, performing at Madison Square Garden opposite Whoopi Goldberg for which The New York Times noted Guter was “oozing with charm” and “a terrific dancer.”
Patrick Burns is the music director for The Drowsy Chaperone. An artist and leader who bridges musical theatre, advocacy and education, he has worked as a music director and conductor for regional theaters, universities and national tours, including associate conductor for the national tour of Spamalot. He also served as Production Manager at Broadway Sacramento. As a composer and lyricist, he wrote Life Sentence, which explores the prison industrial complex, and scored Madwomen and Ready Player Three.
Faculty member Ian Wallace designs the scenery, Tasa Gleason (MFA, drama, ‘20) designs the costumes, Assistant Professor Ethan Hollinger designs the lighting, and staff member Megan Kimura is the sound designer. Undergraduate students Mario Sandoval and Mikayla Freeman are the stage manager and assistant choreographer, respectively.
Performances will be held in the Main Theatre, Wright Hall, at 7 p.m. Feb. 26 - Feb. 28 and March 5 - 6, with afternoon shows at 2 p.m. on Feb. 28 and March 7.
The Department of Theatre and Dance is part of the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis. For information about other department productions, visit theatredance.ucdavis.edu.
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