It’s been a whirlwind tour for local actress
Since the end of September, Alyssa McAnany has been to 39 cities and has traveled more than 9,000 miles.
She’s done this not because she’s on a travel adventure, but because she’s a member of the Broadway national tour of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”
“We’re touring all over the U.S. and also in Canada,” said the West Chester native. “And we’re also going to Tokyo this summer.”
This well-traveled touring company is performing in Philadelphia through Sunday, at the Kimmel Center’s Merriam Theater.
This long-running Broadway musical hit focuses on the trials and triumphs of the biblical Joseph. It features music by renowned composer Andrew Lloyd Weber and lyricist Tim Rice. The choreography for this production is by Tony award-winning Andy Blankenbuehler, who is also choreographer for the Broadway mega-hit, “Hamilton.” Blankenbuehler is also directing “Joseph.”
The music is a blend of styles, including pop, country and rock.
“The fun thing about ‘Joseph’ is that it’s mostly a sung-through show,” said McAnany. “It’s similar to shows like ‘Les Mis.’ It’s a big production with and dancing.”
Last spring, the 22-year-old actress was a college senior at Elon University in North Carolina when she auditioned for the show. The school is well-known for its performing-arts curriculum, and a casting director came to the college to conduct auditions.
Three weeks later, McAnany got a call from the casting director inviting her to New York for another audition.
“It meant a lot to me because many had tried out, and only three of us were called,” she said.
That was just the start of a series of auditions involving singing and dancing.
“I was going back and forth between New York and North Carolina,” McAnany said.
But the hectic schedule was well worth it. Three days before graduating, she was invited to join the cast.
McAnany’s role in the show is an unusual one. She isn’t cast in one specific role. Instead, she’s known as a “swing” because she has to be ready to “swing” into any one of eight different roles if one of the female performers can’t go on. In that sense, she’s like an understudy, except it’s for multiple roles.
“You have to know all eight roles and at any minute you have to be ready to jump in,” McAnany said. “You always have to be on your toes and ready to perform.”
And in case she does “jump in,” she has costumes for all eight roles. Like other cast members, McAnany had costume fittings, and then costumes were made just for her.
Preparing to be a swing meant a different role during rehearsals, which began in August.
As the cast began learning the songs and the choreography, McAnany was on the sidelines.
“Those of us who were ‘swings’ stood on the side of the stage and watched closely as the actors rehearsed,” McAnany explained.
Once performances began, McAnany was again was on the sidelines, but ready to step in.
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And she’s done that quite a few times when she’s taken over the role of Jacob’s wife.
“It’s a featured role, and fun,” she said.
As for the other seven roles, “I have all of them learned and ready to go,” McAnany said.
McAnany is also the understudy for the leading role in the show, The Narrator. So far, she hasn’t taken over that role, but there are many more performances ahead before the U.S. tour ends in May. And as understudy, she has to be ready at a moment’s notice.
Because she’s a swing, McAnany is not sure she’ll be onstage at the Merriam. But whether she’s backstage or onstage, she’s
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really delighted to be performing here. Her parents and all her relatives still live in the area, especially in Chester County. This is their chance to see a show that’s been a major focus of McAnany’s life since the tour began in September.
The play will be anchored here for six days. But that’s not always the case. Often the tour schedule usually involves hours of travel, and then just brief stops in various cities.
But McAnany complaining.
“There are places I never would have seen except for this tour,” she said. “And I get to see them with this amazing cast.”
She also travels with
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musicians, the manager, and everyone else involved in the production. So a special camaraderie has evolved because of the shared experiences. “It’s a true gift,” she said.
Indeed, that’s what this entire experience has been for her.
“It’s an honor to perform with such an incredibly talented cast,” McAnany said. “And our director has created a beautiful new approach to the Broadway show. It has everything that people would expect, plus new components.”
As for the story of Joseph, “it resonates with me and with audiences in every city where we perform,” she said. “That’s because it’s a story of dreams and hopes which everyone can relate to.”
“It’s an honor to perform with such an incredibly talented cast. And our director has created a beautiful new approach to the Broadway show. It has everything that people would expect, plus new components.” — Alyssa McAnany on performing in ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’