{"id":40244,"date":"2022-06-02T18:26:28","date_gmt":"2022-06-03T00:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/straight-out-of-covid-and-genesis\/"},"modified":"2022-06-03T00:26:28","modified_gmt":"2022-06-03T00:26:28","slug":"straight-out-of-covid-and-genesis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/straight-out-of-covid-and-genesis\/","title":{"rendered":"Straight out of COVID and Genesis"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Jason
Jason Lythgoe is set to perform the title role in Durango Theatreworks\u2019 production of \u201cJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.\u201d (Courtesy of Judith Reynolds)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Straight out of COVID-19, Jason Lythgoe will rise to the occasion and perform the title role of \u201cJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat\u201d on Saturday at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came into the role two weeks ago,\u201d Lythgoe said on Memorial Day. \u201cWe had three rehearsals, and then I got COVID. So, last week, I was at home, while the company was getting the show ready without me. I\u2019ve done the show a few times before, but it\u2019s been 17 years since the last go round. It\u2019s almost like a brand-new show in my brain. And I\u2019m excited for all the summer stuff Michael (McKelvey) is starting at Durango Theatreworks.\u201d<\/p>\n

McKelvey is the producing director of Durango Theatreworks. He\u2019s also the full-time faculty member at FLC charged with building a musical theater program. As such, he quickly launched three summer productions. \u201cJoseph\u201d will be staged at the Community Concert Hall on Saturday and Sunday. \u201cHeathers: The Musical\u201d will be performed on the Main Stage in the Drama Building July 6 to 17. And, Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cMuch Ado About Nothing\u201d will be performed evenings in the FLC outdoor amphitheater June 30 to July 10.<\/p>\n

Auditions and casting began swiftly, and rehearsals for a concert-version of \u201cJoseph\u201d began May 23.<\/p>\n

\u201cOriginally, when I heard of the project, it was billed as a concert version. So, I had a whole different notion of what I was getting myself into,\u201d Lythgoe said. \u201cWe are up singing and dancing and bringing it to life. It\u2019s almost a fully realized production.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

If you go<\/h4>\n

WHAT: <\/strong>\u201cJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,\u201d a semi-staged performance, by Durango Theatreworks, directed by Michael McKelvey.<\/p>\n

WHEN:<\/strong> 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.<\/p>\n

WHERE:<\/strong> Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim Drive.<\/p>\n

TICKETS: <\/strong>Range from $12 to $32, and are available online at www.durangoconcerts.com<\/a> or by phone, 247-7657. MORE INFORMATION: www.durangotheatreworks.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Straight out of Genesis, the biblical story of Joseph unfurled first as a pop cantata in the late 1960s. Composed for an English youth chorus by Andrew Lloyd Webber and his lyricist Tim Rice, the work morphed into a full-length musical in the 1970s. Since then, it has achieved enormous popularity, partly because of its driving energy, hip storytelling and mashup of musical styles. Full of campy, tongue-in-cheek humor, \u201cJoseph\u201d is a 90-minute romp into pop culture.<\/p>\n

A narrator quickly sets the story of Joseph, son of Jacob, in motion. The teenager is a dreamer and favored son, so his brothers resent him. Mischief follows. Exile follows. But a happy ending is always in sight.<\/p>\n

The company, 30 members strong, includes local professionals and community members. Lythgoe leads the cast as Joseph, with Durango High School\u2019s drama director, Ben Mattson, as Pharoah. Geoff Johnson takes on three roles. Tayler Smith and Melissa Mossinghoff perform narrator duties. An eight-piece orchestra plays the direction of Helen Gregory and Rebecca Thurston.<\/p>\n

Joseph\u2019s colorful Dreamcoat has been borrowed from Farmington.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t seen the coat yet,\u201d Lythgoe said. \u201cIt is the one from Sandstone Productions from a few years ago (see sidebar). It\u2019s themed to this region\u2019s beautiful terrain and colors. So, of course, it\u2019ll have its red and yellow, green and brown, scarlet and black, and ochre and peach, and \u2026 \u201d<\/p>\n

Joseph in the Four Corners<\/div>\n

In summer 2011, Farmington\u2019s Sandstone Productions presented \u201cJoseph,\u201d directed by former FLC faculty member Theresa Carson. It featured several Durango performers: Dallas Padoven played the role of Joseph; Mattson memorably sang Brother Simon\u2019s lament in the style of a French torch song that morphed into a mock-angry tango; and Suzy DiSanto imaginatively choreographed numbers in a variety of dance styles, Charleston to Fosse, suitable for a pop-musical coming out of the \u201970s. The venue was equally memorable. The Lions Wilderness Amphitheatre is located in the desert outside Farmington, and is still operating. \u201cJoseph\u201d took place at sunset, perfect for this biblical story from the land of Canaan.<\/p>\n

Jason Lythgoe<\/div>\n

For several years, Jason Lythgoe has claimed Durango as home. He is now artistic director of his own company, the new Durango Arts Rep Theatre at Durango Arts Center. A native Californian and graduate of Cal State Fullerton, Lythgoe has performed in more than 150 productions mostly in the Denver-Colorado Springs areas with forays to the Kennedy Center and The Old Globe in San Diego. He\u2019s played Macheath, Bill Sykes, Frog, Scarecrow, John Wilkes Booth, Troilus, Cassio, Claudio and Malvolio \u2013 to name his Shakespearean chops \u2013 all before arriving in Durango to play Macbeth, Don Quixote\/Cervantes and other memorable roles with Merely Players. Technically, Lythgoe is a baritone, but his range enables him to sing into tenor territory, as evidenced by his portrayal not long ago as Archibald Craven in \u201cSecret Garden.\u201d<\/p>\n

Judith Reynolds is an arts journalist and member of the American Theatre Critics Association.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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