Theater of the Stars in Atlanta is producing the new staging at the Fox Theatre to Aug. 29. Engagements in Dallas, Detroit, Des Moines, Memphis, New Haven, Charlotte and Hartford follow.
Norb Joeder will direct and choreograph a cast that includes Monica Patton at the Narrator; Ed Staudenmayer as Pharoah; and Martin Van Treuren as Jacob/Potiphar.
Musical direction is by Michael Biagi. Christopher B. Manos is producer of Theater of the Stars.
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The internationally successful pop musical flirts with all kinds of music styles (calypso, French cabaret, Elvis pastiche, country western) to tell the tale of Joseph, his brothers and the last 13 chapters of the Old Testament's Book of Genesis. "Joseph, Jacob's favorite son, is given a 'coat of many colors' by his father, which infuriates his 11 brothers, who already resent him for being favored," according to TOTS notes. "They don't understand him because Joseph is a dreamer and he's different from them. When he sees in a dream that his family will bow down to him, it's the last straw, and his brothers sell him into slavery in Egypt. There his gift of dream interpretation comes to the attention of the Pharaoh when he successfully predicts seven years of bountiful harvests followed by seven years of famine and saves the people from starvation. Away for many years, he eventually returns home and reconciles with his family."
Hundreds of young Georgia actors tried out for the chance to appear in the show and 49 youngsters from the ages of 8 to 14 were chosen to join the touring musical on stage — as a chorus and active spectators — at the Fox Theatre.
Jon Secada immigrated to the U.S. at the age of nine in 1971, settling in Miami where his parents opened a coffee shop. His immense love of music led him to earn both a B.A. and a M.A. in jazz vocal performance at the University of Miami. He became acquainted with Gloria Estefan and they began a successful musical collaboration. He co wrote six songs on her multi-platinum 1991 album "Into the Light," among them the number one hit "Coming out of the Dark," and sang backup vocals on her subsequent tour.
In 1992 he launched his own career with a self-titled debut record and went on to become one of the biggest adult contemporary artists of the '90s. Today he is a Latin and American pop idol who's sold more than 20 million albums worldwide.
For Atlanta ticket information, call (404) 817-8700, or visit www.theaterofthe stars.com.
