Director's Notes

An interview with Director Mark Martino

As director of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (November 29 - December 18), Martino explains some of the inspiration he will bring to this Blockbuster retelling of the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors

1) Where will you draw your inspiration for this show?

I'm excited to do this show because it is truly is what the cast makes of it. It's a very simple story about a dreamer who literally interprets dreams, but more importantly, it's about someone who we see our dreams through. We see the dream of family love, and go from despair to triumph with Joseph.

My inspiration is the story of the family. It's a Bible story, but it has very little to do with God or religion. It really is a story about a fractured family, and how that family comes back together.

I'm one of six children. So this show hits me in a very personal place, about how the love between siblings is complicated and deep, and ultimately one of the most important things we have in our life.

In this story, Joseph's brothers are jealous of him because he is the golden child, and they do horrible things. But by the end of the play, he forgives and embraces them again. This inspires me because it illustrates how we travel a long distance to come back to that which is most important: home and family.

This show is about an innocent Joseph who has his innocence stripped away; but in the end, that innocence returns. And that's what I find inspiring - that no matter what happens within our families, there is redemption if we hang onto what's really important, which is that we're bound together by a love that transcends.

It may sound overly-sentimental or overly-simplified, but if we watch it through a child's eyes, it makes sense. By involving children in the show, we see the story through their eyes and it becomes very profound.

I'm the oldest brother, and I am incredibly close to my many siblings. We're all in our fourth and fifth decades together now, but when we get together, nothing has changed. Rivalries and flare-ups still occur - but we all come back to the place of we're all each other's best friends. We were set down in a unit, and ultimately we always have that.

2) Why excites you about directing this particular show?

What I love most about working on a show is finding a show's heart. The shows that I've worked on at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre involve big communities of people (La Cage Aux Folles, Crazy For You, The Boy Friend), where you have these quirky communities that sing and dance - but ultimately the stories are driven by the heart at the center of it all.

In Joseph, it's also about the heart. I love the splash, dazzle and whimsy of the singing and dancing, but those qualities mean the most when centered on a tale that, at its core, is all about finding the dream.

This show lives entirely on its emotional life. There's no dialogue - it's all music, which is the most emotional way to communicate. And all that music is centered on telling an emotional story about a boy, his father and brothers. I also look forward to choreographing the show.

3) Tell us about the show's music.

It's Andrew Lloyd Webber, but it's not a big operatic show like Phantom of the Opera. It's really a show he wrote for a children's presentation. And as a result, it's got a simplicity of style that's very appealing; it's filled with melodies that stay with you. You can also hear the young composer writing - if you listen closely, you can hear bits of the melodies that he later used for shows like Cats and Phantom.

I love there's a huge variety of music in support of this story, which allows us to go everywhere we want to go. The music is very pastiche - some of the numbers have a '20s feel to them, some have a '50s feel. There's an Elvis number, and the song Go Go Go Joseph is a '60s disco number.

The musical is accessible to everyone. The beats are irresistible, the lyrics are fun and clever, and it pulls the audience in. It's a fun take on a Bible story - and the pastiche nature of it means that I get to build the music around the actors we hire. It's like the greatest Sunday school class ever.

4) What makes this version unique, as opposed to others?

This show is unique because there is no dialogue. It's entirely dependent on the cast, and we'll use each of their strengths in order to make the show personal.

This particular show is also unique because we have chosen 240 local children for the show's children's ensemble, cast through the Theatre's First Step to Stardom auditions. Groups of 30 will perform on each evening, so that every night, the professional actors' story is told fresh to a new group of kids. It's a challenge to do it this way, but it's very exciting.

To help the children learn their material prior to rehearsals, the Theatre has set up a special website with audio tracks, sheet music, teaching videos of each dance, costume requirements, contracts and more. Then, before I start rehearsal with the professional (adult) cast, I'll have a weekend with each group to rehearse their staging, and they'll also have a few music rehearsals.

It will be a compressed process, but the Theatre's staff has done a terrific job of really streamlining it all.

5) Why do you think it's important for regional theatres like the Maltz Jupiter Theatre to include local children in its programming?

I think including children in theatre is of the utmost importance, because regional theatre is the lifeblood of the American theatre. Broadway is the end result, where tourists go - but regional theatre is where exposure to theatre occurs for most Americans. It's essential that kids get involved when they're young so they will develop an appreciation for theatre.

The American musical is one of only two indigenous art forms that we have in this country; the other is jazz. I obviously feel strongly about continuing this legacy because it's my life's work. But I also know that it's incredibly important that we introduce children to live theater, because between the internet, TV and film, they get precious little time with human beings onstage, where an experience is shared. And particularly now, kids just don't get that opportunity. Most of the experiences they have with the arts are solo, downloaded.

If we can get children into a theatre with other people, that shared experience resonates much more fully. And by getting them involved, we ensure that there is some future for the arts. It's like any arts endeavor; you have to get people involved at the point where their imagination and energy is at their peak, so that they become the artists who will take over.

It's important for regional theatres like the Maltz to assist in the development of a new audience and a new set of artists. Not every kid is going to be a banker, football player or lawyer - they're going to be like me. And if they don't see theatre, they won't know that there's that opportunity. Right now everyone wants to be the star of a reality TV show - but it would be nice if one of them wanted to be star of Hello, Dolly!

If you see a show at a regional theatre like this - at the level that it's produced, with production values, actors and musicians that are top of the line, there's an understanding of why it's special. Beyond being fun for the show, it looks into the future. It motivates the next generation to get involved, and says that these kids are not only potential ticket buyers, but may be budding artists.

6) What is your goal for Joseph?

My goal would be that the audience leaves feeling uplifted by a story that surprises them in its depth and delights in its simplicity. My wish would be that when you leave Joseph, you'll be genuinely surprised that you were moved, and you'll be delighted at the music, color and spirit of the show.

And maybe if it compels you to go home and hug your dad, that would be nice.

7) Define the perfect audience for this show.

Joseph is entirely a family show; it appeals across every generation. I think adults can delight in the music's different musical styles - a 50s tribute, a 60s tribute - and there's a pop sound that can delight young adults. For kids, the narrator says "this is a song for dreamers like you." This show cuts across all generations.

The ideal audience for this show would love Andrew Lloyd Webber music, and would not be in search of an overwhelming moral tale. We learn simple truths in this show.

The show is an eye-popping and visually colorful, stunning presentation that is infectiously fun and joyful. If the show's cast members have a blast performing it because it's all high energy and fun, then the ideal audience is one that is coming in and looking to have that same great time with their family.

8) What are the elements needs for the making of a big musical like this?

The show is huge. It requires a set that can take us a lot of places, from Canaan and Egypt to Joseph's jail cell - all in a simple, efficient and visually whimsical way. It needs costuming that tells us were in the desert in biblical times, and then switches to Las Vegas in the '50s - while somehow remaining in the desert.

Above all, it requires a completely triple-threat cast. There are 17 professional actors in the cast, all of whom have to be able to sing, dance and be distinct personalities. For example, all 11 brothers are very distinct personalities, and they all have to dance and sing. It's entirely a cast of triple threats.

The show also requires a stellar orchestra and a lighting designer who can create the "Technicolor" part of the Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Not to mention rehearsals with 240 kids.

The show is very whimsical - it's an "anything goes" kind of world. It's not about trying to present the desert realistically; it's about trying to present the desert if I were a 6-year-old and someone told me what the desert looked like. It's more than a cartoon, but it's never a completely realistic picture.