This weekend Stages Bloomington will premiere the well known Andrew Lloyd Webber production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at the Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center.
The production features many local middle and high school actors from around the area, many of whom attend Bloomington High School South.
The musical is based off of the biblical passage from the book of Genesis about Joseph and his coat of many colors. The musical is stylized in the form of musical opera, meaning there is no speaking lines, only sung phrases. Because of this, the storytelling is heavily reliant on the Narrator, who tells the story of Joseph and his eleven other brothers. Joseph is also aided by the Pharaoh, stylized as Elvis Presley, in the second act. The music is quite diverse, featuring songs with hints of country, french ballads and Jamaican pop.
The principle roles of the Narrator, Joseph and Pharoah are double casted and played by South students. The Narrator, played by senior Haley Paulin and junior Naina Prabhakar, calls for a very demanding vocal ability and large range. Similarly Joseph, who is played by seniors Noah Moore and Calvin Prenkert, is a tenor role that sits in high vocal range. Lastly, the Pharaoh, a charming and hip shaking homage to Elvis will be played by seniors Tommy McEvilly and Aidan Crowley.
Other South students with notable roles include: Rueben played by senior Jack Richards, Potiphar played by junior Joey McRoberts, Potiphar’s Wife played by junior Claire Rothstein, the Butler/Gad played by freshman Simon Moore, the Baker/Judah played by junior Helen Christ, Levi played by senior Ava Vanderkolff, Issachar played by sophomore Natalie Schacht and featured Ishmaelite soloist played by sophomore Leah Knipstein.
Paulin, who is currently auditioning for collegiate music programs, spoke about the demanding vocal requirements of the Narrator. “Honestly, I think I’ve gotten pretty lucky, I’ve been able to stay (vocally) healthy this whole semester. Normally I’ve just been trying to take care of my voice, I drink tea every night,” Paulin said.
Although she has managed to stay healthy throughout the rehearsal process, Paulin admits that there have been challenges that she has learned to overcome.
“The whole (vocal) range sits a little lower than I am used to, so I’ve had to work on that a lot,” Paulin said. “It’s a very charismatic part, so getting used to staying in that especially in the opening songs for each act, you need to sell it to the audience from the get go.”
While many in the production are seasoned Stages veterans, some are just beginning their Stages careers. Simon Moore, younger brother of Noah, is returning to Stages after a long hiatus to perform as both brother Gad and the Butler in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”
Having a solo in the show was initially a daunting tasking for Simon Moore. “When I first heard my part and start[ed] singing it, I couldn’t sing it well… but then my confidence grew, and overtime I was able to sing the notes. After that I just sort of went for it and gave it my all, and it worked out in the end,” Simon Moore said.
Simon Moore has enjoyed the experience, citing the Stages environment as a very positive atmosphere for community building between castmates.
“[‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’] compared to a lot of the other shows I’ve done has a much smaller group of people, but it also feels like they are more connected with each other, and everyone is friends and can do things without feeling embarrassed,” Simon Moore said.
If you are interested in seeing this production tickets can be purchased here. The show will run this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.
