Addictive musical

ON STAGE Hot Shoe Dance Company's latest production was a musical treat.

October 22, 2010 03:28 pm | Updated 03:28 pm IST

' Joseph and his Coat of many Colours ' by Hot Shoe Dance Company. Photo : R. Ravindran

' Joseph and his Coat of many Colours ' by Hot Shoe Dance Company. Photo : R. Ravindran

This was the first time I had seen a production by the Hot Shoe Dance Company and, let me tell you, this was one of the best musicals I have ever seen in Chennai. The musical had some of the best choreography I have seen in recent times and the dancers were actually in sync. Mithran Devanesan, who initially directed the show, succumbed to cancer and Yusuf stepped in. The show was dedicated to the former.

Technically sound

The sets and the lighting were impressive. Instead of using different backdrops or lighting, they had completely different sets for the two parts. The lights were just right to get you into the mood. Credit goes to the backstage crew and the costume designers. Without them, the show wouldn't have been this good.

The music rocked. Timothy Madhukar, the music director, had recomposed the entire soundtrack from scratch and, dare I say, it sounded a tad better than the original. The songs were mixed by Sean Bout, also the sound engineer. I love musicals, but no other show drew me like this one did; twice! The first day, all I could think was ‘I need to come tomorrow, I need to take pictures, and see whether I can secretly record the entire soundtrack'.

Fun cast

The singers did an outstanding job. Everyone knows what Arjun Thomas (Joseph) is capable of and he didn't disappoint. He only set the bar higher. Mi Li (narrator) has one of the best and powerful voices. Christo, Felix and Roshan were perfect on stage.

Christo seemed like he was having a little too much fun on stage but you can't blame him. Mark Thomas though was a different act. Everyone knew him as the heavy metal singer. Here, as the Pharaoh, he dished out numbers by the ‘King of Rock and Roll' himself. His Elvis number, Jail House Rock got the audience joining the cast onstage.

The chorus did what was expected of it and was brilliant. Again all credit to Timothy Madhukar.

Like every show, this one too had its share of problems. The first day saw small delays, feedbacks during songs, and sound levels not being monitored properly. But I noticed all this because I went on the second day too. The sounds were much better, clear and crisp. The singers' voices could be heard clearly and they weren't drowned out. The minor details had been sorted out.

After the final curtain on Sunday, it felt like the finale of a series you were hooked on to. You just did not want the show to end.

Mahesh is an engineering graduate.

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