On Friday, Feb. 24, the Augusta Players will present “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at Augusta’s Imperial Theater at 8 p.m.
Based on the Bible’s Book of Genesis character, the audience will listen in as the narrator retells the story of Joseph, his eleven brothers, a colorful coat and how the people of Egypt were saved from famine.
Featuring all-star performers and a children’s chorus, participating actors and actresses have been preparing for several weeks to perform a musical filled with catchy songs and lively dancing.
Betrayed by his brothers as a result of jealousy, the plot shows how Joseph overcame bullying through faith, kindness and forgiveness.
With music written and composed by the famous Andrew Lloyd Webber, who is best known for creating the musical scores of “Phantom of the Opera” and “Cats,” lead actress Maggie Christine and actor Brandon Paugh said they loved the musical’s fantastic and emotional music.
“Andrew Lloyd Webber writes a great score, and I love all of his music – this is no exception. It’s a beautiful score,” said Paugh, who is playing the role of Joseph. “It’s so much fun with lots of different styles of music, and the story itself is very heartwarming. I love it.”
Christine, who is a local teacher at Euchee Creek Elementary School, said she was excited to have kids also participating in the show because it allows the show to also be a teaching tool for those watching and those involved.
“The show is just so much fun, and the end product is just better than you could imagine,” said Christine. “Even kids will get something from the show, because they’ll be able to relate to those in the story.”
While Christine favors the show’s light-hearted, fun and upbeat moments, Paugh said his favorite part of the musical is its powerful ballad “Close Every Door,” because of its current relevance to the Jewish community.
Like Joseph, Paugh also identifies as Jewish, and said his attachment to the community has given him an enormous awareness of the play’s significance with present time conflicts.
“There’s a lot of antisemitism going on, and there’s a specific lyric in that song that refers back to the Holocaust – ‘Just give me a number instead of my name’ – and I feel like that’s really a powerful line about just being thrown away, and pushed to the side,” he said. “I think that speaks to a lot of what’s happening now in the country, and how others are treating Jewish people as a community. That’s why it’s very powerful today.”
Director Roy Lewis agreed with Paugh and said he believed the play was important because of its ability to transcend cultural and generational differences for viewers by involving actors and actresses of various ages.
“A part of the take for the vision of the show is we’ve incorporated the children not just to be vocal backups, but to actually be part of the storytelling,” said Lewis. “Even the cast is multi-generational with lots of ages. Our youngest actor is nine and our oldest is in their 60s; so, it’s a great, well-blended cast both vocally and physically.”
Inspired by creating a twist on outside differences, Lewis said the musical was also going to highlight overcoming dividing factors, and teaching younger generations the importance of acceptance.
“So we open the show with kind of an anti-bullying theme, which is kind of what happens to Joseph with his siblings … and at the end of the show we say, ‘Hey, wait a minute. We need to rethink the way we treat people – not just in families, but in generational and cultural issues too,’” he said. “Going back to what [Paugh] said, we’re also putting in a little salute or ‘tag’ to our Jewish friends here in the community.”
Although the musical’s original inspiration is a Biblical story, Paugh, Lewis and Christine said any religious or non-religious audience member could enjoy the show, and leave with something meaningful.
“Yeah, it’s a Biblical story, but it’s one that transcends. We want you to think … we want everyone to come see the story and learn from it, but also see themselves in it,” said Lewis. “On stage, there is just going to be so much diversity, and that’s what speaks loudly to who The Augusta Players are. I think it’s also a good representation of who the Augusta community is as well, and that’s who we want to identify with.”
At initial auditions, Lewis said he was thoroughly impressed with Paugh and Christine’s immediate connection, and over the course of many rehearsals he has only seen it grow to make the storytelling significantly more compelling.
“I was like, ‘Okay, this is magic.’ There’s a lot of magic in this show that is created on such a human level, and I think that’s beautiful,” he said. “We’re going to take you on a journey, and we’re going to hopefully enlighten you along the way. I think that’s the beauty of this particular show – I think it’s timeless.”
Losing sleep from firsthand excitement, Lewis said everyone’s hard work has paid off tremendously to transfer into an amazing show that communicates a deep level of humanness that anyone will enjoy.
“The show is just so much fun, and the end product is just better than you could imagine,” said Christine. “Even kids will get something from the show, because they’ll be able to relate to those in the story.”
The Augusta Players will also perform at the Imperial Theater on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 26, at 3 p.m. The theater is located downtown at 745 Broad St.
To purchase tickets, visit: https://secure.ticketsage.net/Augusta_Players/augustaplayersweb/Web/EventsPage.aspx?PerfID=336272
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education, lifestyle and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
