Go, go, Joseph: Junior high to present 'Dreamcoat'

The essence of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" is spectacle.

It's so much larger than life, Cape Girardeau Central Junior High School's upcoming production needed 149 cast members to pull it off.

Director Mike Dumey said the scale of this year's musical is a testament to how far the music program has come since he began directing the junior-high shows more than 20 years ago.

"It's one of the things I'm most proud of," he said. "[The productions] were much more simplistic when we started out 23 years ago."

This year's production, however, is more than just large; it's ambitious material for seventh- and eighth-graders.

"These are not watered-down versions of shows you've seen elsewhere," Dumey said. "This is what you'd get to see at the Fox or an opera in terms of material."

And the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic is notorious among musicals for being almost entirely sung. The lack of dramatic scenes translated into long hours rehearsing, but Dumey said the score has challenged the entire company to rise to the occasion.

"We aspire for the kids to be, within our limits, as professional as we can," he explained. "And every year, I see it happen. They pull it off."

That's due to the enthusiasm and dedication of students such as eighth-grader Jeffrey Bittle, who plays Pharaoh, a traditionally Elvis-inspired role.

"I had to spend time watching some videos and stuff, but a lot of it has been Mr. Dumey telling me to gyrate more," Bittle said. "It can be pretty embarrassing when you're up on stage with 149 people, and the director says to shake it."

But Bittle said he finds the process rewarding, even though it can be challenging at times.

"I like everything to do with it," he said.

Fellow eighth-grader Isaiah Sterling, however, who plays the title role, said he finds the dancing to be the hardest part.

"I'm not a dancer," he admitted. "Dancing is hard, especially with everybody onstage, but it's fun at the same time."

Those interested in seeing the amazing Technicolor spectacle can purchase tickets at the Cape Girardeau Central Junior High School auditorium for performances at 7 p.m. March 19, 20 and 21.

tgraef@semissourian.com

388-3627