Any dream will do
As one of Galle Fort’s magical sunsets was at its climax, Hall de Galle was getting ready for a very special night. From the Dutch doors the cheerful strumming of music spilled out into the streets together with golden light and other tantalising sounds of preparation. Galle was getting ready for its very first staging of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s musical, premiering in 1970, has been a hit ever since with a colourful, powerfully uplifting rendition of the Biblical story of Joseph from the Book of Genesis. This new production, by the Galle International College (GIC), brings the message of the power of dreams to our ancient port city, itself a dreamer, forever gazing at the sea.
This was the school’s first performance of its kind. For James Luck, show director and producer, the challenge lay in handling 50 students from 14 countries, all aged 5 to 17 and for all of whom this was to be a ‘first’; for many their first stage appearance and for nearly everyone the first musical.
In a babel of many tongues (for it was an audience as varied and cosmopolitan as Galle itself) they speculated, eyes trained on the stage eagerly. This musical was an undertaking nothing short of monumental, and everyone was eager to see how it would be pulled off.
Quite fantastically- as it turned out. It was hard to believe that the cast had had little brushes with musicals before. They were confident and with beautiful soaring voices and dancing brought to life this adventure of a dreamer: Joseph, sold as a slave by his jealous brothers, put to prison by a jealous owner and finally rising up to be the most powerful man in Egypt- and saviour of his family- because of the power of his dreams which foretell the future.
Pix by M.A.Pushpa Kumara
The beauty of the musical was in the catchy tunes as well as the magical synchronization of music, voices, acting and dancing- soulful when Joseph is in prison; healing and uplifting with “Any dream will do” and the uproar when the brothers round up on Joseph. The story itself was presented with great dramatic vigour, with the audience reacting with enthusiasm. While the nostalgic Biblical flavour and landscapes were retained, there were delightfully quirky touches such as the Pharaoh appearing as Elvis Presley, a golden tuk-tuk instead of a golden chariot and ofcourse, the modern humour.
The Musical Director for the evening was Soundarie David Rodrigo, who was at the helm of the six piece orchestra. It is to the triad formed by Soundarie, James Luck and the school’s deputy principal Curtis Jobe that most of praise for the evening should go. Supported by Principal Victoria Hislop, the team toiled for three months, and were among the most deeply rewarded that night. The colourful costumes, painstakingly made by local tailors and seamstresses, also need mention.
The protagonist, young Joseph was played by Kaesura Jobsz while his older self in Egypt was handled by Hidde Oostenbroek. Tiny Margot Sheperd made a rather affable Old Jacob, the father of Joseph with the entire cast showing a professionalism way beyond their years.
When the audience sprang to their feet for a standing ovation at the end, they were at the same time cheering Joseph as well as the cast, the crew, the musicians and the GIC for setting the stage alight with a great show. It was a sparkling debut for the school- an inerasable creative footprint.
