Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Musical: Part 3 - Fulton Theatre Lancaster
December 23, 2023 |
| For Colored Boyz on the verge of a nervous breakdown/ when freedom aint enuff ticket and bulletin. |
This post is part of a three part series; Part 1 - Meet Joseph, Part 2 - Joseph Musical, and Part 3 - Fulton Theatre
I would like to share some of my dreams with you (Ok, these are not my childhood dreams, maybe my mental health advocacy curiosities) - I have always been curious about Mozart’s Magic Flute.
In the mental health/suicide prevention world, there is something called the Papageno Effect. This borrows from The Magic Flute which apparently shows how the depiction of suicide can lead to attempts by others - this is why suicide prevention advocates urge mass media not to get into the details when reporting about suicide.
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| Back stage tour of Fulton Theatre, Lancaster PA - Fulton's Executive Artistic Producer, Mark Robin showing us how the Cinderella's carriage works (December 2021) |
Though I have always been curious about the root of that caution, I have never made an effort to watch the play because I never thought I could enjoy operas and musicals…that was until I started catching shows at Fulton Theatre (which is the main theatre, and one of the attractions, here in Lancaster, PA).
My first visit to the Fulton was when I was doing Leadership Lancaster - a year long leadership development program that saw us visit various projects across the county. Every month we learnt about, and visited, specific fields that contribute to the growth of the city and county. During our Art day, we visited a couple of museums and theatres including The Fulton Theatre and Sight and Sounds (our tour guide said people come in bus loads from across the East Coast to catch shows at Sight and Sounds).
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| Fulton Theatre's Executive Artistic Producer, Mark Robin giving us a tour of the stage as he explains where the musicians sit and how different stage mechanisms work (December 2021) |
We got to see loads of the behind the scenes things at both theatres (and as someone who loves logistics and learning how things work, that was so much fun for me). We also got complimentary tickets to the Fulton's Cinderella and Sight & Sounds' Queen Esther. I have been going to The Fulton ever since (it is a 15 minute walk from my apartment)…and I have enjoyed every single show I have seen. If I had to choose my top 3, I would go with 1) Children of the Empire 2) For Colored Boyz on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown When Freedom Ain’t Enuff 3) Kinky Boots ...ok truth be told, these are the three shows that made me cry my eyes out.
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| Children of the Empire was part of Fulton Theatre's 2022 Fulton Festival of New Works: Stories of Diversity which is a platform to showcase stories by those least represented in the theatre space and/or about issues faced by 'minority groups’. Playwrights submit their work during Fulton's call out, and the top 3 or 4 are showcased over the summer just before the official start of the new theatre season (which runs from September to June).This particular play had a very simple set up - a bunch of people on a Zoom call - but the content was very deep, I cried my eyes out three quarters of the show. It was a disciplinary board meeting (on Zoom) to discuss the conduct of a (white) policeman who shot a (black) man during the 'BLM Protests in Washington DC' |
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| I enjoyed watching the World Premier of Bryan-Keyth Wilson's For Colored Boyz at Fulton Theatre, Lancaster...It starts off with the Black man being taken from Africa in slave ships and we follow his life in America through the lives of 5 men - from the plantations, to musicians in Harlem and Memphis, hip-hop rappers and so many facets of the Black man's life in America. |
For Colored Boyz was as a finalist for the inaugural Fulton Festival of New Works: Stories of Diversity in the summer of 2021. Shows that are voted as best during the summer showcase, get to be on Fulton Theatre's season schedule for the next year. This play was on the 2022/23 season calendar and was staged in the Tell Studio Theatre which is an intimate space on our 4th floor of the Fulton Theatre. Just like Ntozake Shange's For Colored Girls who considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuff we see different aspects of the lives of Black men in America as we explore the difference between freedom and being free
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| This is the show that made me fall in love with musicals - Kinky Boots (whose lyrics were composed by Cyndi Lauper - Girls just want to have fun and Time after Time). It opened at The Fulton Theatre in March 2020 but the world shutdown so it got a second chance in September 2022. This mainstage play follows the life of Charlie, whose dad owns a shoe factory. Charlie does not want to be in the shoe business so he travels abroad. He is just about to get married when he gets news that he has to come back to sort things out because his dad has died...initially he wants to sell the factory but things change after he meets Lola, a drag queen with amazing taste in shoes. They team up to make some Kinky Boots - which includes lots of fighting and dancing. I was blown away by all the men in this play...they could not only walk in 6 inch heels, but they all danced pretty good in them. Charlie and Lola also discover that they have some similarities as they both explore the relationships they had with their fathers (as usual I laughed and cried my eyes out) |
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| Kinky Boots credits outside Fulton Theatre, Lancaster PA |
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| Another thing I love about The Fulton is their preview days. This is usually held a day before any show officially opens - you pay what you want to watch the full show minus intermission. This gives the actors an opportunity to do the whole show in front of a live audience - and allows those of us on tight (student) budgets to still enjoy theatre...only catch is that you have to be outside the theatre at 4pm to get your ticket (no online sales) then come back at 7.30pm for the show |
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| This season's shows at Fulton Theatre, Lancaster PA |
As I sign off, I leave you with Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors (which borrows from the story of Joseph and reminds me of one of my fav experiences - road trips with my dad during my younger years...he always had country music tapes in the car.
I look forward to more theatre experiences in the new year...and taking road trips (train rides) to check out both the Philadelphia theatre scene and New York’s Broadway street, as I track down Mozart's Magic Flute.
Until the next post, keep chasing those experiences…the science shows they will add some happiness and wellbeing to your life.
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