Mangalore: Leila Alvares' Troupe Puts Heart and Soul into 'Joseph' Play
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (MB)
Pics Dayanand Kukkaje
- 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber
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Mangalore, Aug 11: After their counterparts in Bangalore, it was the turn of the theatre aficionados of this city to relish the rare fare of an English play after a long time, in the Town Hall on Saturday, August 11 evening.
Celebrated theatre personality from Bangalore, Leila Alvares, who has her family roots in Mangalore, did it once again. Carting off a jumbo cast and the paraphernalia from Bangalore in the rainy season through the Western Ghat terrain was no ordinary feat. But it was all for a good CAUSE, literally so, for what is close to Leila's heart, the C.A.U.S.E. (Cooperation of the Arts for the Underprivileged in Society and the Environment) Foundation.
The cast and the entire support team - the music, vocals, sound, light, the works - put their heart and soul together. If this has ignited a spark of enthusiasm for theatre in the hearts of Mangalore, Leila and her team's day is done.
The intermittent showers earlier during the day and daunting overcast did not dampen the spirits of the enthusiasts from jam-packing the Town Hall on Saturday evening.
The play is a hilarious spoof on the original biblical story of Joseph and his meteoric rise to fame in Pharaoh’s court in ancient Egypt despite his 11 brothers' evil plan to get rid of him, 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' is a pure musical with no dialogue. It contains songs of every genre from rock 'n' roll to country to rap and is filled with vibrant dances and costumes and is a sure fire family entertainer.
The cast that successfully staged the musicals including Crescendo, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Grease, Frankenstein, Fiddler on the Roof, My Fair Lady, Hello Dolly, Sound of Music and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers to overflowing houses did not fail to make an impact here in Mangalore.
Leila’s cast known for its high energy and talent sang in harmony through the entire show while performing intricate dance sequences accompanied by her band of musicians performed live.
Leading the cast as the spunky young dreamer is Jude Lazaro who exudes an engaging naiveté making him a very likeable Joseph. The narrator, Deborah Mathias who played the same role ten years ago, is down from Barbados for a repeat performance.
Besides Jude Lazaro as Joseph, Prem Koshy played Pharaoh and Debra Pais as the Narrator and the play was directed by Leila Alvares herself.
While the music is directed by Michael D'Souza, choreography is looked after by Pravin Roberts and Lucien Charanghat, assisted by John Fernandes, Lionel De Nazareth and Premila Menezes.
The CAUSE foundation (under the aegis of Leila Alvares), celebrating 10 years of musical history, is back with their annual production. This time Leila revived the much-loved musical Joseph and His Amazing Technic coloured Dreamcoat, which was her very first full scale musical in Bangalore over ten years ago.
With a slew of successful shows under her belt, Leila and her ensemble of 35 cast members set the stage ablaze with colour and sound to the tune of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit rock opera 'Joseph and His Amazing Technic coloured Dreamcoat' with its music, lyrics and energy.
Created by the dynamic duo of Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice, Jospeh was originally written as a fifteen-minute popcantata in 1968. It was not produced as a rock opera on Broadway until 1982. Many well-known celebrities, such as Patrick Cassidy and Donnie Osmond, have played the leading role of Joseph, one of the most endearing characters in Broadway history.
The musical is based on the biblical story of Jacob (played by Arvind Kastury) and his twelve sons. The sons become jealous of Jacob’s favourite son, Joseph, and sell him into slavery. After being unjustly imprisoned, Joseph is miraculously rescued from jail by the Pharaoh (played by Prem Koshy), who asks Joseph to interpret his mysterious dreams. Because of his uncanny predictions, Joseph becomes Pharaoh’s right hand man.
During the famine that Joseph had predicted, Joseph’s family is forced to come to Egypt to ask for food. The brothers are shocked when Joseph reveals his identity as a leader in Egypt. The show ends with Joseph forgiving his brothers and they all live happily ever after, proving that dreams do come true.
Director
Leila Alvares
Jude Lazaro, Debra Pais, Arvind Kasthuri, Sharon White and Prem Koshy
Performers, singers and musicians
Back: Shyju Varkey, Neil Assoy, Jacob Ninan, Nkhil D'Souza, Jason Fernandes, Venkat Subrahmanyam, Pravin Robert; In the foreground - Neville de Nazareth, Dev Noronha, Lionel de Nazareth and John Fernandez
Back: Chritina D'Souza, Alisha D'Souza and Shron White; in the foreground - Devika Thyagraj, Nisha Idicula, Sneha Cherian, Nina Mathew, Sushma Joseph, Nirali Turakhia and Kanika Batra
Teddy Rodricks and Dhiraj D'Costa
Michael D'Souza, Premila Menezes, Vivek Menzel, Jason Zachariah, Robin Colaco and in the foreground Gaurav Vaz
Speaking backstage to daijiworld.com, Leila Alvares, director of the play said that this was the tenth year of her career in theatre and every year they would stage a play in Mangalore. “The performing of the play includes the purpose of charity too. The income of the show will also be contributed for CAUSE foundation and other social service organizations," she added.
At the same time, Leila Alvares donated cheques to Suma Ramesh of Animal Care Trust and Sr Catherine of Society of Camillus.
Next year, a play called 'Grease' will be performed on the stage by the troupe. The people of Bangalore are supporting the theatre group very well. Hence, more support is expected to the next projects also, Leila Alvares added.
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