Colin Cahill Stars In JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT At Cumberland County Playhouse

Colin Cahill stars as The Cumberland County Playhouse wraps up its 2012 season with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, opening Friday, November 16 and runnng through December 23 on the Crossville theater's Mainstage.

"We can't think of a better way to share the warmth and joy of the holiday season," says producing director Jim Crabtree, "than with the heartwarming biblical tale of Joseph, his devoted father, his jealous brothers, and his incredible series of adventures."

Joseph will star Colin Cahill (Backwards in High Heels, Golden Boy of the Blue Ridge) in the title role, with Leila Nelson (All Shook Up) and Anna Baker (Golden Boy) alternating as the Narrator, Jason Ross as Levi, Quinn Cason as Simeon, Mark Stenson as Potiphar, Dee Hill as Mrs. Potiphar, and Jack Seville and Bob Ochsenrider as Jacob. Britt Hancock will reprise his 2005 role as Pharaoh. Completing the cast of 80 are 45 local children and teens from Cumberland and surrounding counties.

First produced at CCP in 1997, Joseph consistently has been an audience favorite over the years, Crabtree explains.

"Director Britt Hancock, assistant director Weslie Webster, music director Ron Murphy and choreographer Leila Nelson will all bring a fresh new vision to the show," says Crabtree. "This will be an all-new, high energy production for families to enjoy together." 

Joseph is the first full-length musical by legendary theatrical team Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. The musical was only 20 minutes long when the 19-year-old Webber first created it for a British school choir in 1968. He asked his friend Rice to write the lyrics, they expanded it to 40 minutes and took it to the London stage. Since then, the show has continued to grow, both in length and popularity. 

Joseph combines musical styles from country to calypso to rock 'n' roll in a series of memorable musical numbers. The show includes such classic songs as the contemplative "Any Dream Will Do," the Caribbean-influenced "Benjamin Calypso," the rockabilly sensation "Song of the King (Seven Fat Cows)" and the unforgettable "Go, Go, Go Joseph." 

For further details, go to www.ccplayhouse.com.

Jeffrey Ellis is a Nashville-based writer, editor and critic, who's been covering the performing arts in Tennessee for more than 25 years. He is the recipient of the Tennessee Theatre Association's Distinguished Service Award for his coverage of theatre in the Volunteer State and was the founding editor/publisher of Stages, the Tennessee Onstage Monthly. He is a past fellow of the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center and is the founder/executive producer of The First Night Honors, held during Labor Day Weekend, which honor oustanding theater artists in Tennessee in recognition of their lifetime achievements and includes The First Night Star Awards and the Most Promising Actors. Midwinter's First Night, held the first Sunday in January after New Year's Day, honors outstanding productions and performances throughout the state. Further, Ellis directed the Nashville premiere of La Cage Aux Folles, The Last Night of Ballyhoo and An American Daughter, as well as award-winning productions of Damn Yankees, Company, Gypsy and The Rocky Horror Show, with Ellis honored by The Tennessean as best director of a musical for both Company and Rocky Horror.

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