It took Jeni Schaefer countless hours to make the famous rainbow-colored coat for "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," a Virginia Stage Co. production that opens on Wednesday.
The coat is made from hundreds of slips of fabric, each bearing a wish, such as "To Be a Tattoo Artist," "Peace, Love, Joy" and "Finish Nursing School." People coming into the Wells Theatre, including performers and audience members, were asked to write their hopes, to represent the collection of aspirations that live inside everyone.
The coat also represents the individuals who came together to contribute their talent to the show, said Schaefer, costume designer and director of design for the musical. She also said that it is unusual that so many of the cast have Broadway credentials, which elevates the show.
“So many talented artists, patrons and community who have walked through the building; it’s amazing what they came up with for this beautiful coat.”
The musical comedy debuted in London in 1968 with a score written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. It opened on Broadway in 1982. It is based on the biblical story of Joseph, who is the favorite son of his father, Jacob. Jacob gives Joseph a multicolored coat, which angers Joseph's brothers. They sell him into slavery, which begins an adventure in which Joseph overcomes multiple trials to become the viceroy of Egypt.
The notion of "dimming your light" to make insecure people feel comfortable is something most people can relate to, said Aaron Alcaraz, who plays Joseph.
“Everyone has some sort of experience where they come into the world bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and people make them feel like they’re too much, too little or make them feel othered,” Alcaraz said. “In this story, Joseph is cast out by his brothers because he is different. He’s treated differently, he sees the world differently, he interacts with the world differently.”
When Alcaraz was in a production of the musical in college, the coat's rainbow colors helped him come to terms with his queerness. Some interpretations of the biblical story paint Joseph as gay because of some personality traits, including his rejection of Potiphar’s wife.
Director Billy Bustamante was intentional in his vision for the show: "A lot of the creative decisions I’ve made, like the visual aesthetic, the choreography, the movement and the physical language of the show come with a fair share of queer coding,” Bustamante said. “I feel very purposeful in that decision, knowing that we want everyone to see a version of themselves.”
Joseph’s optimism and resilience are reflected in the costumes, Bustamante said.
“It was important to us that Joseph stood out as a flash of fluorescent color in a sea of personality beige,” Bustamante said. “It was also important to us that every other citizen of the show felt like an individual, not like a monolithic othering entity, especially the brothers.”
The cast decorated their white dance sneakers to bring a sense of individuality to the characters. He said the design idea speaks to the greater mission of the show, “that what makes you unique is what can make you change the world and impact it in a way only you can.”
But what happens to Joseph isn’t necessarily about an article of clothing, said Elisa Galindez, the show's narrator. The coat is a catalyst for the eruption of deep-seated resentment.
“The brothers have been cast aside by Jacob. I think Jacob is fallible, not evil. It’s just that he sees his own dreams in Joseph and wants to foster that,” Galindez said. “When you forget everyone deserves attention, love and empathy, things can fester.”
Alcaraz said his character struggles to find forgiveness with his brothers because of his feelings of abandonment and betrayal, which are encapsulated in the song “Grovel, Grovel.” Rice and Webber's score is a mix of genres, such as pop and rock, found in songs such as “Those Canaan Days” and “Song of the King.”
Calvin Hitchcock, the stage company's music director, brings a sense of curiosity and expansiveness to how he engages with the score, Bustamante said, without giving away too much detail.
“Everyone in the company brings a sense of uniqueness,” he said. “That’s something Calvin has been able to run with to make the score feel like Jeni’s coat, a tailor-made score for the company and a tailor-made bespoke piece of theater for Norfolk and Hampton Roads.”
"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" runs March 11-26 at The Wells Theatre, 108 E. Tazewell St in Norfolk. Visit vastage.org for tickets and more information.
