“Joseph” Playing to Capacity Crowds at The Lofte!
-submitted by Christine Swerczek

"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" opened at the Lofte Theatre on July 20th to an enthusiastic near-capacity audience. Billed as the "most colorful musical ever" Joseph was written by the renowned team of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice. The musical is based on the biblical account of Jacob and his twelve sons. When Jacob presents his favorite son Joseph with a coat of many colors, it triggers a plan by his envious brothers to sell Joseph into slavery. Joseph winds up in Egypt serving Pharaoh and ultimately saving the brothers who betrayed him.

According to writer Michael Coveney, Tim Rice said of the story behind the musical, "This great tale has everything--plausible, sympathetic characters, a flawed hero, and redeemed villains…It is the story of triumph against the odds, of love and hate, of forgiveness and optimism. As with all great stories, the teller has no need to spell out the messages if he tells the tale well. Perhaps risking comparisons with the youthful Joseph's lack of modesty, I believe Andrew and I told the story very well indeed."

Joseph first appeared on Broadway in 1982 at the Royale Theatre where it ran for 749 performances. Today it has been resurrected for stage in London's West End starring Lee Mead, the winner of the BBC reality show contest "Any Dream Will Do." Due to its popularity with families, Joseph has been performed by over 20,000 local schools and community theaters. (reported by Really Useful Group)

Director Kevin Colbert initially tried to run Joseph at the Lofte last year, but was prevented from doing so because of a conflict with a touring company performing the musical in Omaha. He had always wanted to direct this musical, but waited until he had the room to produce a more grandiose version. The new Lofte Theatre gave him the bigger stage that he needed, while Larry Bauers' construction skills and Linda Dabbs' and Cindy Mumford's painting talents succeeded in transforming that big stage into a grandiose set.

Kevin's major reason for choosing Joseph was because he appreciated the varied upbeat music styles and high energy of the play. Styles of music range from a country-western number sung by Levi (Jim Knierim) and accompanied by Mick Kovar on steel guitar to the crowd-pleasing Elvis-style rock of the Pharaoh (Tim Howell). There are no spoken lines. Gretna's lovely Kara Stark narrates the story while Joseph (Sam Swerczek of Papillion) reveals and interprets dreams through song. Nearly all of the scenes in Joseph are large ensemble numbers choreographed by Margaret Clancy and Samantha Colbert, and directed by music/vocal director Betty Colbert.

Kevin said, "This has been a real challenge. If not for my wife Betty, we couldn't have pulled it off. She deserves a great deal of credit for writing and rewriting the music. Without her help, skill and passion, it wouldn't be what it is."

Auditions for Joseph were held early June. Director Kevin Colbert explained what he looks for in an audition. "I look for a spark or light in the eye; an aggressiveness on stage. This has to be something they really want. Even if they are not the most talented, they take a part and audition it to make it their own." Kevin said he believes in auditioning the person, not the role.

The large cast of 46 people is as varied as the colors of Joseph's coat. Cast members live anywhere from Palmyra to Papillion. Ages run from 9 years old upward. Of our 16 members of the children's choir, 11 claim prior experience in theatre at various venues such as The Lofte, The Lied, and the Lincoln Community Theatres. For some of the adults, this is their first time on stage. Others are veterans. Seven cast members attend high schools and five attend universities in Iowa, Minnesota, Colorado, and Nebraska. Cast members work in radio, education, the postal service, and a gamut of other occupations. Many serve as Lofte Theatre board members and devote countless hours building sets, running the concession stand, and the operation of the community theater.

Kevin explained what works well with this particular cast, "Everyone works hard. There is no ego involved. Everyone works together for the good of all." Jamion Biesterfeld is literally pulled from the concession stand during the play and makes an appearance on stage as Potiphar. Set technical director/head carpenter Larry Bauers appears as the butler and back end of the camel. And Kevin becomes the baker and the front end of a camel when he is not directing.

Kevin described his directing style as an "actor's director." He is quick to leap into action with the cast, giving suggestions and acting out the parts himself. "I don't want everyone to be a monkey of me," he said, but added that his 30 plus years in acting and directing have given him a lot of experience. Joseph is Kevin's 207th production.

Kevin as the baker describing his dream to Joseph (Sam Swerczek) and the butler (Larry Bauer).

When asked what he considered to be the biggest challenge of producing such a big scale musical, Kevin said, "People have such busy lives. We had to work around conflicts. People were in and out." Kevin added that there were only one or two nights when he had the entire cast at rehearsal together. Rehearsals began in mid-June. By July most of the cast was rehearsing from 6:30 until 10:30 every night.

And when asked what Kevin likes about Joseph, he replied, "I like the simple message of just having a dream…any dream will do."

CONSTRUCTION SLOWS SOME CROWDS TRYING TO REACH LOFTE

Theatre patrons planning to attend Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat may need to plan for a few extra minutes to reach the Lofte this summer. Highway 50 from the south and Highway 1 from the west are both under construction. If patrons typically travel from Elmwood, Eagle, or Lincoln via Highway 1, they will find the intersection of Highways 1 and 50 closed. They will want to take country roads around or take Highway 50 instead. Patrons who typically travel Highway 50 from the south will be able to reach Highway 1 and turn east, but many have experienced delays because of one-lane traffic. Just allow 10-15 extra minutes and you'll be just fine!