Create a musical universe on stage
From time to time, the musicals of Leila Alvares are a ray of sunshine for English theater lovers in Goa. She’s back with her version of the classic musical ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’, marking the 25th anniversary of the CAUSE Foundation in the English theater world
Dolcy D’Cruz
Theater lovers, especially English theatergoers, have reason to rejoice as after a hiatus of nearly two years, a musical will light up the stage in Ravindra Bhavan, Margao. And it’s not just any play, but a classic with a huge cast, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Directed by Coorg-based Leila Alvares, the Bangalore cast and crew will perform in Goa on October 1 at 7:15 p.m. “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is a delightfully irreverent take on the biblical story of Jacob and his twelve sons, especially Joseph. The musical is filled with catchy songs in a variety of genres, including country-western, rock n roll, calypso, and French ballads, including the unforgettable “Any Dream Will Do” that entertained and inspired audiences. generations of young and old theater lovers. Originally staged in 1968, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is a sung musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the character Joseph from the book of Genesis. of the Bible. top new and old singing, acting, dancing and musical talents including Rahael Thomas, Alapana Bagirath, Madhuri Braganza, Shyju Varkey, Arvind Kasthuri and Prem Koshy among others. One of the biggest factors for the musicals, the live band will be led by Aashish Paul and the lively dances are choreographed/directed by Ritu VK and Elexer Fernandes. Be prepared to be dazzled by the vibrant costumes and striking sets using a combination of technology and hand-painted scenes that make this musical a must-see event. by his father, Captain Kieren Alvares, a Mangalorean. “My father was more Goan than my mother. His family is also originally from Goa but settled in Mangalore. He made a point of traveling to Goa for us for various family functions, carnival and other celebrations,” says Alvares. A director of Broadway musicals for 25 years, she is also the founder and director of the Arts Cooperation Foundation for the Disadvantaged in Society and the Environment (CAUSE). She has been involved in all things music since a young age while giving back to the community. Besides his annual musical productions, Alvares is also the author of “Once Upon A Lifetime”. She spends most of the year at home on her coffee plantation in Coorg, where she lives with her two children, Kieren and Keira. This makes practices for musicals a very intense two-month period in Bangalore. After two well-received shows in Bengaluru followed by a show in the towns of Mysuru and Mangaluru, the musical is heading to Goa. “We have played Goa more than four times and I hope Goa will show us the same love this time. It was my first musical 25 years ago which I then revived and greatly improved ten years later Now, for the third edition of the musical, it’s a huge step forward in terms of sets and costumes because you have to keep the musical relevant with the times. I’m free to interpret the piece and like Jacob has 12 sons and their wives, there will be almost 40 cast and crew for this musical,” says Alvares, whose son, Kieren and daughter, Keira are also part of the musical. Leila Alvares and her team captivated audiences over the past 25 years in Bangalore, Mangalore, Chennai, Coorg, Goa, Cochin, Payyanur and Mumbai.” CAUSE Foundation promotes local talent and proceeds go to charity. It is quite costly to produce a musical it requires live sounds and songs. We can only recover our expenses if we receive a full hearing. For 15 years, I have selected actors on the basis of auditions. It used to be easy to find talent by word of mouth, but now it’s extremely difficult. Finding talent has been a problem and dancers, especially professional dancers, expect to be paid. But since it is a voluntary organization, they cannot be paid. This year, I’m extremely happy to say that we have 90% new and young talent. The band also got back to music in ten days, which is pretty impressive,” says Alvares, whose repertoire of past musicals includes classics like “Grease,” “My Fair Lady,” “Sound of Music,” “Fiddler on the Roof”, “Ghost the Musical”, “Young Frankenstein” and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”. Don’t miss the opportunity to see this young group of talents in the musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”. Tickets are available online at BookMyShow and on site the day of the event.
