Actor and singer John West says that he's found the perfect part for his talents in the touring production of "The Drowsy Chaperone."
His central role in the musical is called "The Man in the Chair," and that's where he pretty much stays for the entire show.
"I'm an actor and a singer, but no one has ever been willing to pay me to dance," says West.
John West has been active in theatre for as long as he can remember.
"I did lots of community and school theatre in Tennessee where I grew up and continued to study it in college at Northern Kentucky University."
"My earliest memory of theatre is actually about costuming. I remember going to the store with my mother to buy cotton balls."
"There was a Christmas Pageant and I was playing a sheep so we glued those balls onto an old T-shirt and I was all set. My character's name was Baaab."
"The Drowsy Chaperone" is a show within a show. John West's character, "The Man in the Chair," comforts himself by playing his old records and the sounds conjure up his memories of every clichéd plot device that's ever graced a musical stage.
As he listens the musical actually appears on the stage with the story of a pampered Broadway starlet, the planned marriage that will end her career, the producer who wishes to sabotage the upcoming nuptials and a pair of gangsters whom he hires to pose as pastry chefs in disrupting the festivities.
"The Drowsy Chaperone" comes to the IU Auditorium for performances Tuesday and Wednesday, March 31st and April 1st, 2009
Listen to WFIU's George Walker's review of the performance.