Bishop - Playhouse to unveil its biggest production to date

Joseph, played by Jeff Pratt, shows off his coat of many colors to his envious brothers in Playhouse 395’s production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” The musical is about sibling rivalry, set in the age of the Old Testament, featuring Elvis as Pharaoh and complete with Egyptian go-go dancers and a 10-piece electric orchestra. Tickets are on sale now. Photo by Mike Bodine

A local connection for culture and conduit for showcasing local dramatic talent is about to embark on its biggest production to date.
Playhouse 395 will debut the musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” this weekend, with an invitation-only performance Thursday and performances for the general public starting Friday, March 13. Performances will run the next three consecutive weekends, with Friday and Saturday night performances at 7 p.m. and Saturday matinees at 2 p.m.
“Joseph” is undoubtedly Playhouse 395’s largest production with more than 65 cast members and hundreds working behind the scenes, from set design and children’s choir wrangling to costumes and catering.
And “Joseph” itself is very unique in that it is a musical that lacks any dialogue that is not harmonized; there is not one spoken word, it is all sung.
This can be a challenge for the cast as the music doesn’t stall or skip a beat if an actor misses a line. And to complicate things further, there are many melodies sung at once, forcing the actors to stay extra sharp.
“With the music, there’s hardly a chance to catch your breath,” David Hardin said during a full-dress rehearsal and photo shoot last week. “And you’re usually singing with this group of people, so you can’t mess up – you have to know your stuff.”
Hardin has been involved with Playhouse 395, in front and behind the scenes, since the theatre’s first inception in the late 1970s and after its resurgence in 2006.

The Children’s Choir sits and listens to narrators sing the tale of Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The Playhouse 395 production of “Joseph” starts Friday. Photo by Mike Bodine

Hardin plays the role of Jacob, father of Joseph and 11 other sons from the Biblical city of Canaan.
Told through the music of Andrew Lloyd Weber and the lyrics of Tim Rice, “Joseph” is the tale of, well, Joseph, the favorite son of Jacob.
Joseph, played by another Playhouse 395 veteran, Jeff Pratt, is given a rainbow colored coat by his adoring father, to the envy and spite of his 11 brothers who must wear sheep skins. To make things worse, Joseph tells his brothers of a dream he had in which their stalks of wheat bow down to Joseph’s stalks.
This is enough for the brothers and they destroy Joseph’s coat and instead of killing him, decide to sell him to an Egyptian slave trader. After a brief stint in jail, Joseph uses his dream reading abilities to charm the Pharaoh into appointing Joseph Minister of Agriculture. Years later, circumstances bring the brothers together again, but Joseph has a little surprise up his multi-colored sleeve for his brothers.
This is not a straight-forward Bible tale, but a surprisingly humorous and outrageous poke at Old Testament tales and times, like the Pharaoh dressed like Elvis and his harem that doubles as go-go dancers.
The music, played by a 10-piece electronic orchestra under the direction of David Pratt, is as varied as the colors of Joseph’s coat. It is a mixture of country, jazz, calypso and 1960s pop in the tradition of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” which Weber and Rice wrote following “Joseph” in 1968.
Stan Conger, who plays Naphtali, Jacob’s sixth son, said, “The music is very challenging as there are so many melodies and things all going on at once.”
“It’s more like a rock opera,” Hardin explained, “and the music is so much fun.”
The play is fun, too, and not only for the old hands like Pratt and Hardin, but also the many first-timers on this production.
Gerard Harvey, local attorney, who plays Issacher, Jacob’s ninth son, has been in several Playhouse 395 productions, but prior to that had not been on stage since he was a boy in “Oliver Twist.”
“I learned to sing in church and I’ve always loved to sing, and I’m not allowed to sing in court,” Harvey said before bursting into laughter along with fellow cast members.
“Joseph” will mark Chet Baker’s first-ever performance. He will play the role of Asher, Jacob’s eighth son.
“The whole experience is great,” Baker said, despite the extensive rehearsals and countless hours of practice. “I’m used to my little mold of work and home, this is breaking me out of that. The best part has been meeting and getting to work with so many people in the community who are all surprisingly talented.”
Brandon Parker, who recently moved to Bishop from San Diego, said he had never been in a musical or play either, but, “I love to sing, so it was a no-brainer.”
Parker, who is Pratt’s understudy for the role of Joseph, also plays an Egyptian guard.
“When I first moved here, I caught a performance of ‘Music Man’ and thought, ‘This is legit – these guys are good.’”
This is also the first production for 14-year-old Marisa Clarkson of Bishop, who will be one of 23 in the Children’s Choir. Clarkson admitted that she’s been in church recitals and on the church choir, but this will be her first time in front of such a big audience.
“I’m doing this just to do it, and I’m having a great time,” Clarkson added.
The “good time” part is what seems to be bring people back to Playhouse 395 productions. Every person, from the producers and actors to the crew and band, are volunteers, being paid in applause and pride.
Playhouse 395 is also a place for locals to show their talents, like Jeff Pratt who has been involved in every production since 2006, but behind the scenes, and will finally make his stage debut with “Joseph.”
Lacey Gordon, who plays an Egyptian go-go dancer and the wife of Levi, Jacob’s third son, said she just loves to sing and appreciates the opportunity Playhouse 395 provides for her to showcase her vocal talents.
Others, like stagehand and prop maker Chris Nelson, said she really enjoys the experience and considers it “a very worthwhile venture.”
“It is so important that we bring fine arts to the area,” Nelson said.
Volunteer Coordinator Donna Woods said this is her first time to see a production all the way through from the auditions to closing night.
“It’s a heck of a lot of work, but I’m having a really, really good time,” Woods said. “It’s a labor of love.”
Tickets are on sale via the Web site at www.playhouse395.com, or by phone at 920-9100. Tickets can also be purchased at the Playhouse 395 box office on West Line Street in Bishop. Call or visit the Web site for office hours.