Beatrice Stockwell is sure to be a hit in The Drowsy Chaperone; she was made for it! We loved getting to talk to her about her past and this show; she is so much fun!
Give some background/ tell us about yourself.
Oh! What a question! What I could tell you would fill a book. Maybe it will someday – Memoirs of a Drowsy Diva! Well, I grew up in Brixton – that’s south of London – and I was a firecracker. I knew from the instant I saw the Palace Theatre that I HAD to be there, up on that stage. The stage is my home, darling. I’ve worked with Jerome Kern and Georgie Cohan and I once fed Flo Zigfeld dinner on an air-o-plane, can you imagine? I sing, I act and I LOVE life. That’s it – me in a nutshell.
How did you get into acting?
Well I was one of “the twelve Bath Buns” when I was 10, that was my first professional show – ‘the Beauty of Bath’ – ha. I learned everything about being a star from Mme. Ellaline Terriss – I never met another woman who could be so happy and so miserable at the same time. Mother took me to the auditions but she never thought it would go anywhere. I showed her!
Why did you audition for this show?
Oh, darling, I didn’t audition. I did do a bit of reading for Julie Gable of course, but they knew I was the Chaperone the minute they made up the title!
What drew you to your character of The Drowsy Chaperone?
Well this show is just a peach. It’s juicy and full of sugar and the Chaperone, bless her heart, gets quite a bite now doesn’t she? Of course I get to work with dear Roman again, and that’s fine.
How did you prepare for this part?
Well I’ll tell you. That woman, the Chaperone, has everything she wants – except love. I just had to indulge myself and trust my instincts – and then remember my third husband. It was a trial – but life is all about trials, isn’t it?
How would you and your character get along?
Oh famously, I expect. She and I would belong to the same Club and take in the races together. I would probably lose to her at cards.
What do you hope the audience gets from your character?
Fun! She is just the bees knees and she doesn’t mean any harm. She causes trouble, yes, but never really on purpose. She wants things to come out right in the end. Really she just wants everyone to have a grand time.
What do you like to do in your free time?
Free time? Is one supposed to have free time? I do play cards, I suppose, with the girls at Nanci’s – but really most of my time is spent working shows, auditioning, and traveling back and forth from London. It’s a good life, darling, and I LOVE living it!
Answers by Megan McGuire as Beatrice Stockwell as the Chaperone
Article by Madison Denkinger
