This year’s exciting US musical is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The show will be performed Thursday and Friday, March 5th and 6th at 6pm, and Saturday March 7th at 2pm. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (lovingly referred to as Joseph for short) includes music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, and retells the biblical story of Joseph and his journey to Canaan from Egypt. The show first premiered in the U.S. in 1970, then after some time in the West End in London, came to Broadway in 1982.
Joseph, known for its flamboyance and color, showcases music that spans various genres, such as rock, show tunes, classical, country, pop, and calypso. LJCDS theater educator Dr. Jim Short remarked that “it’s all over the place stylistically, and it’s so fun [to] just pop from one [genre] to the other.” Because of the versatility of the musical, the fun music, and powerful themes including the value of family, Joseph is the perfect school musical. According to Dr. Short, Joseph “is goofy, it is cartoonish, it is silly. It will make you laugh and want to jump up and start dancing and singing.”
Due to LJCDS’s centennial year celebrations, the musical will include students from all divisions. In the words of Dr. Short, it will “be a community musical.” There will be a children’s choir made up of third through eighth grade students, and a cameo by LJCDS’s very own Mr. Doerge. In the pit, there is also a middle school musician. An anonymous source stated that “the pit is awesome this year!” Joseph is also appropriate for all ages, which further promotes the theme of a community musical.
Dr. Short shared that what he’s looking forward to the most is the fun that is had in rehearsal. He stated that “Everyone is laughing and having a great time. Everything we’re doing, it’s like, ooh, how can we make this more fun? How can we make this more silly? How can we laugh more as we’re putting this together?” Putting on a musical does not come without many hours of dedicated rehearsal. Rehearsing for hours takes up a lot of energy and time and can be very stressful, but good times are almost always had.
Due to Joseph’s excitable energy, relatable themes, and unique music, “There is something for everyone to enjoy in the show.”