CLOSBC presents an early work by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Joseph (Eric Kunze) is adored by the women of Egypt. Photo by Alysa Brennan
by Tom Fitt
Long before Andrew Lloyd Webber started creating musicals about silly-named felines, locomotive people on roller skates and masked figures who insist on playing minor-keyed songs on pipe organs, he and his youthful collaborator, lyricist Tim Rice, wrote a handful of theater pieces in which the songs don’t all sound alike. I’m still awaiting their “Beowulf, the Musical.” Lyrics could be lifted directly from the Nowell Codex: “Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum, ?eodcyninga, ?rym gefrunon, hu ?a æ?elingas ellen fremedon.” Brings tears to your eyes, doesn’t it?
“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is a prime example of the Webber-Rice team’s best work and is being presented through May 9 by Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities (CLOSBC) at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center.
Originally, “Joseph” was presented as a 15-minute pop cantata in London, 1968. It finally made it to Broadway in 1982 after the pair achieved success with album-turned-musical “Jesus Christ Superstar.” The story is based on a tale in the Hebrew Bible’s Book of Genesis.
Joseph is one of 12 sons of Jacob. As daddy’s favorite, he is given a fancy coat. His siblings don’t like this. They sell him into slavery and Joseph ends up in Egypt where he works a good gig, but the wife of the house has the hots for him, which doesn’t sit well with the boss. He’s thrown into jail and meets a couple of cons who are connected to the Pharaoh. Networking is popular in prisons. There is the obligatory doo-wop singing. The Pharaoh (yes, Elvis) gets Joseph out so that the lad can interpret his dreams. All proceeds swimmingly; he fixes Egypt, returns home and lives happily ever after in his colorful bedspread. The historical accuracy of this story is questionable, as Christiane Amanpour was on assignment at the time, ESPN was busy with the Ephesus Olympics. and FOX was covering the Goldwater campaign.
CLOSBC, cheerleaders and Iron Man
Ron Kellum directs the CLOSBC production. Having been an actor in a Broadway revival of “Joseph,” he has first-hand experience with the show. His directorial experience includes productions of “Rent,” “Chicago,” “Dreamgirls,” “Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” and many more. He has also acted in and choreographed most of these shows. My favorite entry in Kellum’s resume, however, is his participation with NFL and NBA dance teams, including seven of the recent NFL Pro Bowl cheerleading squads. I volunteered to assist in such endeavors, as the Easy Reader office can sometimes become a bit stuffy. I miss the high-heeled boots and tassels. Maybe I just miss Roy Rogers.
Kellum is no stranger to CLOSBC. “I have a long history here,” he said. “This is actually my anniversary here. I did an Ovation Award-winning production of ‘Dreamgirls’ 10 years ago, plus several other shows since then. This is my second directorial job; about five years ago I did a workshop of a new musical called ‘Cotton Club.’ Now, to do a big show like ‘Joseph,’ which I know well and love, is exciting.”
He did this show in 1993 on Broadway as actor and dance captain, and continued with the National Touring Company “for well over a year. It’s one of those shows that sits deep in your bones.”
For the upcoming CLOSBC show, Kellum didn’t have input in the selection of “Joseph” but said, “When Stephanie (Coltrin, artistic director) told me they were doing it, she asked me about the show. I said ‘I love it,’ and she asked me to direct. Of course, I was thrilled. She and I worked together and collaborated on ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’ about seven years ago, then she brought me back to do some choreography for the ‘Fab Five’ show that was done here. She’s also directed me in several productions.”
This “Joseph” has a cast of 26 plus a 22-kid chorus. Total rehearsal time, as is typical of CLOSBC, is eight days.
“This is one of those shows that is an audience favorite because it has a theme that everyone can relate to: hope and dreams and redemption. It’s done everywhere; children’s schools, high schools, colleges,” said Kellum. “But, even if you know the show, audiences always tend to love it because it’s one of those great messages that you can’t seem to get enough of. My personal take on it is to really go for the heart of the show. Quite often people go for the shtick and the over-characterization. I’m just going for the heart, of course making it fun and visually appealing. I have an incredible cast, which is what I’m most excited about.”
Jesus, Joseph and…
Eric Kunze is a CLOSBC regular having last year played the lead in “J.C. Superstar.” He’s quite Biblical in his choice of roles. Is there a musical about Moses? Jesus, Joseph and Mary! No, not Mary. Kunze isn’t quite that pretty.
Of late, Kunze said he’s been “doing shows all around. I did Evita, another Miss Saigon, and I’ve been doing a lot of symphony stuff, which is fun.” He has a concert show – heavy on the Webber material – that he has performed with the Vancouver Symphony, the Cincinnati Pops, at the Kennedy Center and, shortly after this run with “Joseph,” he’ll sing with the Detroit Symphony. Nothing says symphony like Detroit.
Kunze was born and raised in San Diego. “It’s real hard to call anyplace home (with my schedule), but San Diego is my home base; it’s where I come and go from work. I don’t really work in L.A. very often, so there’s no real reason for me to live here.”
In this show, the Joseph character is onstage a lot. “Yes,” said Kunze, “myself and the narrator (Kelli Provart) don’t leave much. She’s singing and telling the story and I’m there acting it out. I’d probably say she has more singing than I do, but stage time is big for both of us. This show isn’t as hard vocally as ‘Superstar,’ but there are still some great songs to sing. There are still those Andrew Lloyd Webber ballads that people like to hear.”
“Joseph” is among the first Webber compositions. How does it hold up to his more recent works?
“This show reaches such a broad audience. My 4-year-old nephew is going to come, and he’ll just flip-out when he sees it,” said Kunze. “The appeal reaches all the way to elderly people as well. Unlike ‘Superstar’ and ‘Evita,’ which have political and religious issues, this is pure fun and entertaining. It’s bright and colorful and there are children onstage with us and the kids love that.”
Duel personalities
Paul Ainsley plays a double role in this production of “Joseph.” He is Jacob, the father of 12 sons – busy guy, but there was no Monday Night Football in his day. Ainsley is also cast as Potiphar, the Egyptian that Joseph worked for whose wife tried to seduce our hero, landing him in jail. Perhaps the wrong participant was incarcerated. With such an appetite, no telling how many sons the three of them could have conceived.
Ainsley’s experience is extensive, which is what happens when you work long enough that your resume doesn’t fit on one page. I can say that because half the interview was the two of us talking about shared birthdays this week. No numbers to be published in these pages. Suffice it to say, we both vividly remember Neil Armstrong’s little walk.
In this show, “I’m playing the older character men, which is a dream come true. I’m a big guy and I fill up the stage on my own, but these are two really different and fun parts.”
Ainsley is originally from Brookline, Mass., but his family moved to Southern California when he was 10. “My brother moved back to Cambridge and I visit him as often as I can.”
Given the two characters, which has the better songs? Which is more fun to play?
“The father (Jacob) just sings little bits of things. Potiphar has a moment when he gets to be funny, he gets to go crazy when he throws Joseph into jail, so he is a little more fun of the two,” said Ainsley. “But, dad comes in and out through the whole show, thrilled to give his son this glorious coat, then he thinks his son is dead. Then everything ends up happily ever after.”
Ainsley initiated the role of King Herod in “Superstar,” and said, “I have had a relationship with Tim and Andrew for, oy, decades now. Oct. 12, 1971 – one of those dates you don’t forget when you make your Broadway debut.”
At about the same time, “Godspell” was playing off-Broadway. Another rock opera, “Hair,” preceded “Superstar,” and Ainsley remembers the controversies surrounding all of these shows.
This will be Ainsley’s second production with CLOSBC. “I did ‘Seven Brides for Seven Brothers’ and had a great time a few years ago.”
‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,’ CLOSBC, Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redondo. Previews April tonight and Friday. Regular schedule: Tuesdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Saturday matinees May 1 & 8, 2 p.m.; Sunday matinees April 25, May 2 & 9, 2 p.m. Closes May 9. Tickets, $45-$60. Call 310-372-4477 or visit www.civiclightopera.com. ER