Fine Arts – Theater

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

(See a photo gallery from the musical.)

USJ's Fine Arts Department presented the amateur production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the musical parable of Joseph and his coat of many colors February 25 through 27 in USJ’s Blankenship Theater.

The production brings to vibrant life the biblical saga of Joseph and features characters as colorful as his amazing coat, including a Pharaoh depicted as Elvis. Set to an engaging cornucopia of musical styles, from country-western and calypso to pop and rock’n’roll, the Old Testament tale emerges both timely and timeless.

The cast and chorus, which included USJ students of all ages and faculty members, was under the direction of Dr. Tammy Grant. A live orchestra comprised of professional as well as student musicians directed by Tom Grant provided the music for the production.

USJ Fine Arts productions are made possible through the generosity of our sponsosrs, including platinum sponsors Krasner Pawn & Jewelry; Cancer Care Center; MIG Construction Services — Andre Gist & Alice James; Bancorp South; Dr. Michael Ibach, Dr. Dan Kayal, and Dr. Patrick Teer — Medical Specialty Clinic P.C.; West Tennessee ENT Clinic — Dr. Karl E. Studtmann; Dr. Thomas and Karlie Head; iDesign; First South Bank; Twice the ICE; The Evans Clinic, Huntingdon, Tenn. — Drs. Paul & Pam Evans, Drs. John & Nancy Caterina, and Dr. Jerry Atkins; and Dr. Loukas & Sandrina Georgio.

Beauty and the Beast Jr. cast members, above.

Beauty and the Beast, Jr.

The audience stepped into the timeless Disney classic of the ‘tale as old as time’ as the University School of Jackson Middle School presented “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Jr. on October 29 and November 1.

Adding a flair of nostalgia to the show was the return of several costumes used in the 2005 USJ production: Belle, who was originally played by Tiffany Kelly-Hollis; Babette, played by former Miss Tennessee Ellen Carrington; Beast; Cogsworth; and Mrs. Potts. “We are so grateful to our special past cast members for sharing their fabulous costumes with this year’s production,” said Beauty and the Beast director and USJ faculty member, Dr. Tammy Grant. “Their generosity helps the cast out and keeps our costs down, plus it is a neat thing for them to do. Our Belle costume was actually made by one of our parents, Lisa Hollis.”

The production featured two separate casts. Meredith Maroney and Sierra Glosson had the role of Belle; the Beast was played by Chris Weiner in both casts, and Gaston was portrayed by Reed Matheny and Sean Chaikowsky.  As with many USJ productions, Beauty and the Beast represented a school-wide team effort, with 70 students from grades sixth through ninth and two lower school students having roles. The art department and parents helped with costumes and set design. 

Based on the Academy Award winning animated feature, the stage version of Disney’s “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Jr.” includes songs from the film, written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, plus new songs written for the Broadway version by Mr. Menken and Tim Rice and based on the book by Linda Woolverton.

Smokey Joe's Cafe

USJ students took the audience on a stroll back to the days of rock and roll … in the recent production of "Smokey Joe’s Café." The musical features the songs of Lieber and Stoller, one of the first great song-writing teams of the rock and roll era.

The USJ cast, at right, included students from all divisions, parents, staff, and teachers.

The Tony-nominated Broadway musical revue features more than two dozen classic rock and R&B tunes, such as “Poison Ivy,” “Spanish Harlem,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Yakety Yak,” and “Hound Dog.”

(See a photo gallery of pictures from the musical.)