Dreaming in technicolour, courtesy CAUSE Foundation

To celebrate their 25th anniversary this year, Bengaluru’s CAUSE Foundation will stage, Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat over the weekend. The classic musical, which came out in 1968, was one of the first shows performed by The CAUSE Foundation in the year of their inception.

“This is the third time we are performing Joseph,” says Leila Alvares, founder-director of The CAUSE (Cooperation of the Arts for the Underprivileged in Society & Environment) Foundation. “The first time, 25 years ago, we followed the script faithfully and the second time round, we reinterpreted it a little bit. However, for our third rendition, we have taken many liberties with the way we are portraying it; all with approval, of course.”

“There is far more spoofing this time, to make it more interesting and entertaining, but the music and lyrics remain the same as they cannot be changed,” she says, adding that her ideas for variations to the script came as she saw her troupe rehearse.

Leila Alvares
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Leila says she feels blessed that her 35-member cast is comparatively quite young. “Over the years, we have had members who have been with us 10 years or more before they left the city for higher studies or other jobs. For this show, almost 90% of my cast comprises youngsters as well as artistes who will be performing with us for the first time. With the exception of a few cast members who have been with me from the start, this is almost like starting all over again.”

“One of the objectives of The CAUSE Foundation is to promote local talent and it is like a breath of fresh air to work with people who are enthusiastic, energetic and on-the-ball. I am blessed to have an extremely talented group of young musicians too; my entire band has changed with the exception of my bass guitarist who is now my drummer as well as music director.”

The cast includes some of the city’s well-known musical talent such as Rahael Thomas, Alapana Bagirath, Madhuri Braganza, Shyju Varkey, Arvind Kasthuri and Prem Koshy among others. They will be accompanied by Aashish Paul, choreographed by Ritu VK and directed by Elexer Fernandes.

Leila Alvares and members of The CAUSE Foundation at rehearsal
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Following their performance in Bengaluru, The CAUSE Foundation will stage Joseph… in Mysore on September 10 at Jaganmohan Palace and at Town Hall in Mangaluru on September 17, before moving on to Goa.

The musical is an irreverent take on the Biblical story of Jacob and his 12 sons, set to musical genres as different as the colours on the dreamcoat — rock ‘n’ roll, calypso, ballads and more.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, a two-hour performance by The CAUSE Foundation will be staged at Chowdiah Memorial Hall on September 3 and 4. For tickets log on to BookMyShow or call 988441 69903.