Audiences should be anything but drowsy during “The Drowsy Chaperone,” stage actor Marc De La Concha said in an interview with the Sparks Tribune. De La Concha performs in a supporting role as gangster No. 2 in the award-winning Broadway musical playing this weekend at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts in Reno.

“Theater-lovers will enjoy the show. It mocks the old-fashioned style of theater,” de la Concha said Monday while preparing for the night’s performance in Modesto, Calif. “The show is reminiscent of old vaudeville acts with stylized movement, puns and witty humor.”

De la Concha said audiences, both large and small, have responded well to the little-known but charming musical comedy. While on Broadway in 2006, the production won five Tony Awards including bests in book, original score, costumes and set design.

According to various descriptions, the show opens with a forlorn Man in Chair sitting in the dark who cheers himself up by playing an old show-tune record called “The Drowsy Chaperone.” As the vinyl rotates, the show comes to life with characters appearing one by one. The man’s dingy apartment is transformed into a musical stage with bright lights, elaborate sets and fancy costumes. The once lonely man narrates and sometimes stops the actors to explain the scenes. Turntable glitches also trip up the action.

The production’s musical within the play revolves around a Broadway stage queen thinking of ending her career by getting married.

The number “Toledo Surprise” rallies the entire cast onstage and is De La Concha’s favorite piece of “The Drowsy Chaperone” production. Other song-and-dance routines include “Show Off,” “As We Stumble Along” and “The Cold Feets.”

For De La Concha, the most difficult part of the production is getting adequate rest while keeping up with almost nightly performances for months at a time.

“It’s challenging. It’s a lot of travel to a different city almost every day,” De La Concha explained.

According to his Web site, www.marcdelaconcha.com, after earning a bachelor of fine arts in musical theatre from State University of New York, De La Concha, 27, started his career five years ago and “has been on the road pretty much ever since.”

Road time included a national tour with “Discover Theater: Featuring Disney’s Cinderella” and “The Jungle Book.” All the hard work is worthwhile for De La Concha when, after the shows, he gets to meet his audiences. De La Concha said he has good memories of the Reno crowds.

De La Concha appeared two years ago in Reno and received positive local reviews for his performance as Smee in the touring stage production of “Peter Pan.”

“The best part is meeting the audience and the people who appreciate the theater,” the actor explained. “I’m looking forward to Reno.”

After a two-night stand in Modesto, the shows travels to Redding, Calif. then Medford, Ore. before hitting the end of the road in Reno. After the end of De La Concha’s second “Drowsy Chaperone” tour, it’s back to the audition scene in New York. De La Concha and fellow cast members will split up or maybe join up again as they try out for other productions.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” opens Friday night and plays through Sunday at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts. Friday’s show is at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets prices range from $55 to $75 and can be purchased online at www.pioneercenter.com or by calling the theater box office at 686-6600.

The theater is located at 100 S. Virginia St. in Reno.

For more on the show, go to www.drowsychaperoneontour.com