Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat 1982 - Articles Page 5.8

North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) is ready to work its magic, once again, to transport audiences to a purrrr-fect evening at 'The Jellicle Ball,' in CATS, one of Broadway's longest running musicals. The show leaps onto the stage for two weeks only starting tonight, August 20 and playing through Sunday, September 1.

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, August 18, 2013 - Sunday, August 18, 2013.

Today's edition features the late Laurie Beechman with her Theatre World Award in 1982. Beechman made her Broadway debut in the original cast of ANNIE, and later starred as 'The Narrator' in the original cast of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, scoring a Tony nod for her work. She also starred in PIRATES OF PENZANCE, CATS, LES MISERABLES, CARRIE, and more. After a long battle with ovarion cancer, Beechman died in 1988 at the age of 44.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's names have become synonymous with musical theatre. Even if you've never seen a musical on stage or don't care for the art form it's almost a definite that you have at least heard of their works: Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, and Phantom of the Opera. JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT is yet another highlight of the pair's resume, and having been performed all over the world for nearly 30 years, it has become a beloved favorite of theatre goers. The Ogunquit Playhouse's new production of JOSEPH… will leave no doubt in your mind as to why this musical is so loved.

Don't let this summer end without seeing 'America's Favorite Original Boy Band'! Olney Theatre Institute presents a limited return engagement of Forever Plaid August 24 through September 15 on Olney Theatre Center's Historic Stage.

North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) is ready to work its magic, once again, to transport audiences to a purrrr-fect evening at "The Jellicle Ball," in CATS, one of Broadway's longest running musicals. The show leaps onto the stage for two weeks only starting Tuesday, August 20 and playing through Sunday, September 1.

Olney Theatre Center will produce the groundbreaking Tony Award-winning musical A Chorus Line today, August 1 through September 1 on the Mainstage. With 24 performers and 8 musicians in the pit, A Chorus Line is the largest musical in Olney Theatre Center history.

For its landmark 60th Mainstage production, Arizona Broadway Theatre (ABT) - the highest-attended, live year-round theatre in the Valley of the Sun - will produce the epic Biblical saga Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat from now through August 18. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Olney Theatre Center will produce the groundbreaking Tony Award-winning musical A Chorus Line August 1 through September 1 on the Mainstage. With 24 performers and 8 musicians in the pit, A Chorus Line is the largest musical in Olney Theatre Center history.

For its landmark 60th Mainstage production, Arizona Broadway Theatre (ABT) - the highest-attended, live year-round theatre in the Valley of the Sun - will produce the epic Biblical saga Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat from today, July 12-August 18. Tickets can be purchased now at azbroadway.org or by calling the ABT box office at (623) 776-8400.

The Round Barn Theatre has announced its next year's season three months earlier than ever before. 'We have aggressively surveyed our subscribers and patrons since the beginning of the year to determine their choices for shows throughout the nine month season,' said Artistic Director Jeremy Littlejohn, 'We have dubbed the resulting season 'Incredible' to describe the diversity of choices that make up the 2014 season.'

For its landmark 60th Mainstage production, Arizona Broadway Theatre (ABT) - the highest-attended, live year-round theatre in the Valley of the Sun - will produce the epic Biblical saga Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat from July 12-August 18. Tickets can be purchased now at azbroadway.org or by calling the ABT box office at (623) 776-8400.

Theatre by the Sea (TBTS) is ready to work its magic, once again, to transport audiences to a purrrr-fect evening at 'The Jellicle Ball,' in TBTS's premiere production of CATS, Broadway's long running musical. The show leaps onto the stage for a four week run starting tonight, June 19 and playing through Saturday, July 13.

For its annual summer family show, the Alhambra Theatre & Dining will stage the Andrew Lloyd Webber hit, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. Written by Weber with lyrics by Tim Rice, this Biblical saga of Joseph and his coat of many colors comes to vibrant life in this delightful musical parable. Joseph, his father's favorite son, is a boy blessed with prophetic dreams. When he is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and taken to Egypt, Joseph endures a series of adventures in which his spirit and humanity are continually challenged. Set to an engaging cornucopia of musical styles, from country-western and calypso to bubble-gum pop and rock 'n' roll, this Old Testament tale emerges both timely and timeless. The show opened in London's West End in 1973 and then on Broadway in 1982. It has enjoyed several revivals, including a current UK tour since 2010.

Theatre by the Sea (TBTS) is ready to work its magic, once again, to transport audiences to a purrrr-fect evening at "The Jellicle Ball," in TBTS's premiere production of CATS, Broadway's long running musical. The show leaps onto the stage for a four week run starting Wednesday, June 19 and playing through Saturday, July 13. Press night is scheduled for Friday, June 21 at 8:00 p.m.

Teen Idol and David Cassidy ('The Partridge Family') will guest star as veteran poker player Peter Coe on the February 27th episode of CBS's CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION.

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, January 27, 2013 - Sunday, January 27, 2013.

Today in 1982, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat opened at the Royale Theatre (now the Bernard B, Jacobs Theatre), where it ran for 747 performances. Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, the story is based on the 'coat of many colors' story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. In 1999, a movie version with Donny Osmond in the title role was released, directed by David Mallet.

Now, Disney Theatrical Productions has confirmed that Aladdin, a new musical based on the Academy Award winning animated film, will play its pre-Broadway engagement at Toronto's Ed Mirvish Theatre(formerly the Canon) November 13, 2013 to January 12, 2014 and will open at Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre in 2014. The show will feature music by Alan Menken; lyrics by the late Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin with a book by Beguelin. Casey Nicholaw will direct and choreograph.

BroadwayWorld brings you the Best of St. Louis in the year 2012. Check out the Top Theatre Stories from each month during in the year 2012. We look forward to another exciting year of theatre in 2013!

Broadway/L.A. has announced that DONNY & MARIE - Christmas in Los Angeles will come to the legendary Pantages Theatre from tonight, December 4 - 23, 2012 for its West Coast Premiere.

Broadway/L.A. has announced that DONNY & MARIE - Christmas in Los Angeles will come to the legendary Pantages Theatre from December 4 - 23, 2012 for its West Coast Premiere.

Dallas Theater Center presents Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center tonight, June 22 - Aug. 5. DTC Associate Artistic Director Joel Ferrell will direct and choreograph a fresh retelling of this family-friendly musical staring Sydney James Harcourt as Joseph and Dallas favorite Liz Mikel as the Narrator.

Dallas Theater Center presents Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center June 22 - Aug. 5. DTC Associate Artistic Director Joel Ferrell will direct and choreograph a fresh retelling of this family-friendly musical staring Sydney James Harcourt as Joseph and Dallas favorite Liz Mikel as the Narrator.

Forget "Rock Of Ages." That 21st century musical about the 1980s has nothing on the real thing. "Cats," the show that set much of the look and tone of musical theater for the next decade or so when it opened in London in 1981 and in New York in 1982 (and began continuous touring in 1984, a record unmatched in theater history) is on display for this week only (sorry, "Now And Forever") at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre. Forget "Rock Of Ages." That 21st century musical about the 1980s has nothing on the real thing. "Cats," the show that set much of the look and tone of musical theater for the next decade or so when it opened in London in 1981 and in New York in 1982 (and began continuous touring in 1984, a record unmatched in theater history) is on display for this week only (sorry, "Now And Forever") at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre. And I, who saw the original Broadway production twice during that heady decade and have not seen the show in any form since then, was eager to go and see what the fuss was, and is, all about. So I went, Tuesday night. If you've never seen this show, if you kids have never seen it, or if you want to experience the magic of this unique theatrical masterpiece one more time, then this is a great opportunity to do so, as this is the only remaining North American production to (somewhat) accurately replicate the award-winning, record-setting British musical that took America and the world by storm thirty years ago. This tour of non-Equity performers, with its usual orchestra of five beefed up to eight for a weeklong stand (May 1-6) in a major theatrical market, has enough going for it that I highly recommend it. It's a little like entering a time machine, and there's a lot of sleight of hand, but it works. Let me explain. What is "Cats?" Much maligned by insiders, derided as dated by visual artists, underrated by dance teachers and ignored by voice teachers (save for its megahit song, "Memory," which is heard twice, but never in the sheet music version everything has heard and claims to know), it is in many ways a dichotomy. It's a dance show (choreography by Gillian Lynne) written by a singer's songwriter (Andrew Lloyd Webber), as well as a British song cycle based on poems written by a St. Louis-born English poet (T. S. Eliot) who never intended his work ("Old Possum's Book Of Practical Cats," and other snippets) to be either musicalized or staged. Its plot, slight though it is, is also the subject of much derision, but to this observer is very reminiscent of "A Chorus Line," a universally revered work that does include dialogue and more depth of character, but also honors unity of time and place. However, there are indeed works that dispense with plot entirely, and which people unabashedly love (you know, revues--"Ain't Misbehavin'" comes to mind), and even shows like "Forever Plaid" and Lloyd Webber's "Starlight Express" feature heaven-going as a climax that is not entirely a surprise. So, enough complaining about there being no dramatic tension, already. But the spectacle! Is it a rock concert with dance, a dance concert with character, a makeup and hair extravaganza with arena-style lighting (still thrilling, the work of David Hersey, as recreated by Rick Belzer), a radio-friendly cast album with a decidedly British keyboard-rock spin, an intellectual set of inscrutable poems with earworm melodies, an environmental theater piece that's fun for all ages (an unmistakeable set and costume design by the remarkable John Napier)--what exactly is going on? The answer, of course, is all of the above. Oh, and it owes a lot to the English music hall tradition and to contemporary classical music, too, not to mention Puccini. Name another show that encompasses so much. Not to mention that original marketing campaign. Aside from his immature works (the children's show "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and others), Lloyd Webber's previous shows written with Tim Rice (the two nominated for the Best Revival of a Musical Tony Award this year, "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Evita,") were both introduced to the world via record albums and marketing campaigns that featured a logo rather than a star name and image. But "Cats" seemed to take that even further, dispensing with the concept album and zeroing in on the show AS the star. Indeed, this show has no leading roles. Really. But who can forget that moon/cats' eyes/dancer silhouette logo, and the letters of the title in color-coordinated graffiti (echoing the oversized junkyard scene design). It was exciting and revolutionary at the time, and the only shows that have done it better since then (Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom Of The Opera" and director Trevor Nunn's "Les Miserables," all three produced by wunderkind Cameron Mackintosh) are the only ones that have run longer in London and New York, due to the lessons they learned from the feline juggernaut before us now. It was "the birth of the musical spectacular," as Broadway In Chicago's promotional materials tell us. This particular edition of the endless "Cats" tour, directed and choreographed by Richard Stafford and featuring mostly young, recent graduates of top U.S. musical theater and dance schools, is indeed "cut down" from the total makeover that the Winter Garden Theatre in New York displayed for the 18 years it played there (1982-2000). But the "Christmas lights" that once ringed the audience do indeed extend past the proscenium arch, and the cast makes several trips out into the aisles, a nice touch. The back wall of the set does not swing down to reveal the ship's set needed for the "Growltiger's Last Stand" sequence--they use drops and a false proscenium downstage center here, and I almost liked it better. The set as a whole is not as detailed and certainly not as deep as it once was, but if you haven't seen the video of the London production, or the show as it played in the early '80s, you would be none the wiser. Sound-wise, I have to give credit to sound designer Duncan Robert Edwards, musical supervisor Kristen Blodgette and music director J. Michael Duff. I swear the show sounds better than ever, even with a smaller orchestra than originally employed. And I could understand the lyrics! The costumes and makeup design look simplified to me, though, but again, a newcomer to the proceedings wouldn't know. And do I care of part of the set is inflatable, as rumor would have it? I don't care how they get it from city to city, or how quickly they do it, but somebody does care, and they figured out a way to make it work! The floating tire and the thing that comes down from the fly space (spoiler alert?) look great, absolutely. Absolutely. The cast is led by Melissa Grohowski as Grizabella, the role made famous by Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley and carrying with it, shall we say, a certain expectation of a certain money note. Boy, does Ms. Grohowski deliver! Three people stood during the applause for the number. Bravo to Clemmons/Dewing Casting, I say! The two singing roles for the men, Old Deuteronomy and Gus/Growltiger/Bustopher Jones, are essayed here by Nathan Morgan and Christopher E. Sidori, who both acquitted themselves well and were very effective theatrically, whatever their actual ages. Among the dance roles, Daniel J. Self as the narrator Munkustrap, Chris Stevens as Rum Tum Tugger and especially Chaz Wolcott as Mistoffelees were crowd pleasers: Self with his movement detailing, Stevens with his Elvis impersonation and Wolcott with his amazing fouette turns. The cast of two dozen or so performers dances uniformly well, and sings very well, too, save for a few minor quibbles with single lines here. And there or some missing low notes that older performers would probably have no trouble with. But these are easily forgiven. Who cares if the leading lights of Broadway (Harry Groener, Terrence Mann, Anna McNeely and of course Ken Page) have been replaced in these roles by recent graduates of Wright State, SUNY-Purchase and Oklahoma City University? These energetic, disciplined performers are working their tails off (pun intended), singing like people who can't dance a lick and are basking in the glow of theater history with every city they visit. Yes, the show has moments that seem a little longwinded, and sure, it doesn't challenge your intellect as much as it challenges your wallet and your caffeine intake (it takes place at night, and everybody is dressed like a cat!). But I challenge you to remain unmoved when Grizabella begs for physical contact, when old Gus relives his moment of youthful theatrical triumph, when assorted junk becomes the train that Skimbleshanks loves, and when the sopranos of the ensemble soar on the words, "'Round the cathedral rang 'Vivat!" Come on! It's "Cats." It's eye and ear candy galore. I don't even like cats, but I do like "Cats." Very much. "Cats" plays this week only, Tuesday night through Sunday night, with additional matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday, at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph Street in Chicago. Tickets are available at all Broadway In Chicago box offices, the Ticket Kiosk at Water Tower Place, all Ticketmaster retail outlets, by phone (800.775.2000) and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com. Photos: Melissa Grohowski; The Cast