If there was ever a perfect time to take in a stage musical, now is that time.
That’s the belief of Robert Ainsworth who, as director of the Peterborough Theatre Guild’s season-closing production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, is well aware of the much-needed boost to our collective spirits that the musical promises to provide.
Opening Friday (April 25) at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough with seven performances to follow until May 4, tickets are available at www.peterboroughtheatreguild.com.
Featuring a massive cast and crew of over 50 community members, the Tony award-nominated romp would seem the perfect medicine for what ails us during this stressful turbulent time of heightened financial worry and dismay over world events.
In short, it’s time to tear ourselves away from the news channels’ talking heads and virulent social media posts, sit back, and be wholly entertained.
“We’re in bleak, dark times at the moment with what’s going on with the United States and everything,” assesses Ainsworth during a chat at the Guild Hall on Rogers Street.
“The world needs shows like this right now — the familiarity of the songs and people dancing and smiling and whooping and throwing things in the air. And then you have an incredible story. Whether you believe in the Bible or not is inconsequential. It’s just a really good, fun story.”
With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber set to Tim Rice’s lyrics, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a reimagining of the story of Joseph from the Bible’s Book of Genesis. Although it was written in 1972 with various stagings over the next decade, the musical only came to Broadway in 1982 when its themes and music became a huge hit, with the production receiving six Tony Award nominations. In 1999, the musical came to the big screen, with singer Donny Osmond in the lead role.
Told entirely through song with the help of a narrator, the story follows Joseph who, after being sold into slavery by his brothers, befriends Egyptian noble Potiphar.
After being jailed for refusing the amorous advances of Potiphar’s wife, Joseph discovers an ability to interpret dreams. That brings him in front of the Elvis-inspired Pharaoh, where Joseph’s insight into Egypt’s impending famine elevates him to a position of power as the Pharaoh’s trusted advisor and, ultimately, reunites him with his long-lost family.
Great musicals have one thing in common: signature songs that become instant favourites. Webber and Rice certainly delivered, with “Any Dream Will Do,” “Close Every Door To Me,” “There’s One More Angel In Heaven,” and “Go, Go Joseph” still ringing very familiar with many.
In tapping Ainsworth to direct the famous musical, the Guild has gone with a proven winner.
A 2012 Peterborough Pathway of Fame inductee for his significant contributions as a director, playwright, and actor, the native of England has won several accolades for his work, most notably for The Mouse House, which won seven awards from Theatre Ontario, including best director for its creator.
“I wrote another play for the Guild to do, called That’s The Spirit,” notes Ainsworth. “It takes place in an English pub that’s haunted. It was accepted by the Guild, which was going to go through with it, but all of a sudden they called me and said ‘Oh, we kind of need a musical now. Would you do a musical?'”
“I’ve always wanted to do Joseph. I had approached St. James Players about doing it but there never seemed to be the time slot to do that. The Guild heard about that and asked ‘How would feel about doing Joseph?’ How could I pass that up? I’ve tried to do it for 15 years.”
At the suggestion that this staging of Joseph and Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will be familiar to audiences, Ainsworth answers yes and no.
“Joseph is a short play,” he notes. “We added in some dancing, but you can’t change the story. I’ve written a 10-minute introduction — it’s a classroom being told the story by the teacher. Then the play starts as written. We can’t change anything, but that introduction stretches it out to about an hour and a half.”
It’s no surprise that a production that’s so dependent on its central character calls for a stage performer who not only has captivating presence, but can deliver the musical’s demanding music numbers.
In his portrayal of Joseph, Brayden Ellis checks all the boxes, raves Ainsworth. Having recently directed the Anne Shirley Theatre’s Company staging of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Ellis nailed his audition.
“When you decide to do a show like this, you say to yourself ‘Please let Joseph walk in the door’,” says Ainsworth.
“He came in and said ‘My name’s Brayden’ and was very low key. He sang ‘Close Every Door To Me’ and that was it. Done deal. He’s a seasoned performer. He listens. There’s no ego there at all. That’s just fantastic for a director.”
Also exciting to no end for Ainsworth is the opportunity to work with the 17 children and youth who form the chorus.
“They are the future of theatre in Peterborough,” he says. “If we make this as pleasant as we can, they’ll become the future actors.”
“Peterborough is a sports town. That becomes so obvious when we try to raise funds. Hockey, lacrosse — it’s wonderful, but not every child is into sports. They need another outlet. Theatre used to be done in schools all the time. Not so much anymore.”
“Years ago, I worked with a school production. There was one child the kids sort of picked on. I made him the king in the play — ‘You’re the king. You’ve got to tell everyone what to do.’ For the first time in this kid’s life, he became empowered. The others played along and they were great with him. I thought how important theatre is to give that child an opportunity.”
VIDEO: “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at Peterborough Theatre Guild
Community theatre, adds Ainsworth, is a gem that must be supported.
“This Peterborough production is Peterborough people — the actors and the crew,” he says, adding “This is ours.”
“Very often you go to see a play or musical, and you go ‘I think I know that guy. He lives just down the road’ or ‘He served me at the store.’ You see familiar people. And eventually, they get a following.”
“Brayden is a great example of that. Also Macayla (Vaughan), the Narrator. I first met her when we did Mary Poppins years ago when she was like 10 (years old). She’s grown into this incredible character who’s just been accepted into Sheridan College’s theatre program.”
“We have three welders in this show who have never done theatre before. One got the others to come along. They are on stage alongside seasoned performers. It’s fantastic.”
Over the years since Ainsworth’s first involvement with local theatre, actors have come and gone, lines have been recited and forgotten, and applause has risen and subsided. Add Ainsworth’s continued excitement to that list of constants.
“What fuels that is the enthusiasm of the people around you,” he says. “I might be, like last night, awake most of the night worrying about everything. They’re not. They’re thinking ‘Oh I can’t wait until the next rehearsal.’ That gives me fuel.”
“We have one young man who I’ve given a role to. When he sang his little song a few days ago, the cast was at the side and they all clapped. That brought tears to my eyes — the encouragement that he got. That’s the cast we have. Everybody gets along so well. It’s so important to me that they enjoy this so they’ll go on and become the future of theatre.”
Joining Brayden Ellis and Macayla Vaughan as leading cast members are Mark Hiscox (Jacob), Brian McDonald (Reuben), Keevin Carter (Simeon), Harry Clark (Judah), Keith Goranson (Potiphar), Patty Best (Merimit, Potiphar’s wife), and James Burrell (Pharaoh, Levi).
Other named roles are performed by Carter Wells (Issachar, Butler), Charlie Mundell (Benjamin), Christine Helferty (Adinah), Delaney Cameron (Uzit), Emily Beamish (Elflalet), Erik Feldcamp (Napthtali/Baker), Erinn Burke (Marosha/Mime), Faith Williams (Alit), Gord Costain (Ishmaelite, Prisoner), Heather Boyd (Elyoram), Jason Camp (Dan), Julie Fallis (Dinah), Laura Collings (Asher’s wife), Mike Miller (Gad), Rebecca Mansfield (Arbat), Rourke Stevenson (Asher), Shelley Moody (Rachel, Joseph’s mother), and Travis Edge (Zebulun).
Young actors performing as members of the chorus are Alex Hodson, Ava Meehan, Avila Callaghan, Darragh O’Connell, Emerson Malloy, Esther Malone, Faustina Dubonnet, Grace Malone, Jasper Chesser, Joseph Canning, Kiera Thurston, Miriam Callaghan, Molly Malone, Natalia Kitney, Rio Meehan, Rose Canning, and Theo Greisman-Blank.
The show’s production manager is Margaret Pieper, with musical direction by Brian McDonald and choreography by Julie Fallis. Other members of the crew including Sharon McLeod and Lyn Braun as stage managers, Kate Braun as assistant stage manager, Justin Hiscox as music supervisor, and Andrew Woodhouse as set designer.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will be performed are at 7:30 p.m. on April 25 and 26 and May 1 to 3, with 2 p.m. matinees on April 27 and May 4. Assigned seating tickets are $42 for adults, $37 for seniors, and $27 for students.
Advance tickets can be ordered online at www.peterboroughtheatreguild.com.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of the Peterborough Theatre Guild’s 2024-25 season.
