Sacred Heart Major Seminary performs 'Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat' for the second time; first time since 2012
DETROIT ─ It was 30 minutes before showtime at Sacred Heart Major Seminary on March 20, and the line of people outside the auditorium snaked through the maze of hallways in the 1924 building.
People were eager for the doors to open for the first of two performances of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” on the newly-renovated stage.
The spring theater performance has become an annual tradition at the seminary.
The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, based on the Biblical story of Jacob, his 12 sons, and a special coat that sparked jealousy and betrayal, was brought to life by 20 seminarian actors representing seven different dioceses studying at Sacred Heart.
Despite just two months of rehearsals, the cast and crew staged a show that found their guests laughing out loud, swaying to the music, and roaring in applause after each song.
Talent on stage
“We knew we’d be welcoming more than 800 people over the course of the two days, and that was how I motivated the guys at our tech rehearsals,” said student director Logan Scott, a seminarian with the Diocese of Kalamazoo.
The cast embraced many musical genres featured in the 1984 Broadway hit, from country western to calypso to rock and roll.
John Boutin, a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Detroit, played Pharaoh, taking on an Elvis persona that left the audience in stitches. Boutin came down from the stage to interact with the audience, briefly explaining that Jesus is the true king and inviting attendees to help him sing his version of “Viva Las Vegas,” changing the words to “Vivat Jesus,” or “Long live Jesus.”
The 11 brothers who turned on Joseph donned berets as Diocese of Marquette seminarian, Charles Tackman, led them in a French ballad titled, “Those Canaan Days.” The aged character of Jacob, played by Conor Peleman of the Archdiocese of Detroit, joined them in a wheelchair as he played violin and lamented over better days and Joseph’s seemingly doomed fate.
Paul Keenan of the Diocese of Lansing and the Archdiocese for Military Services, USA, charmed attendees in the role of Joseph. Keenan played key roles in the two previous musicals at Sacred Heart.
Behind the scenes
Scott first became involved in theater at Sacred Heart as the stage manager for the 2023 production of “A Man for All Seasons,” then co-directed “The Bluff” in 2024 and “H.M.S. Pinafore” last year.
This year, he is one of three seminarians who make up the production’s “board of directors,” as their faculty advisor, and Sacred Heart professor, Fr. Brian Meldrum, calls the three students who took on the directing roles: Scott, Jonathan Forrest and Jacob Sasak.
Forrest and Sasak are seminarians with the Archdiocese of Detroit.
The directors drew inspiration from the movie “Grease” for the costumes, with Joseph and his brothers sporting red letterman’s jackets and Converse shoes, and the Ishmaelites wearing black jackets and sunglasses. The musical was set in a classroom, with the narrators (Joseph Lennon, Archdiocese of Detroit, and Adam Major, Diocese of Toledo) dressed as teachers in sport coats and ties, and Potiphar (Jason Jimenez, Archdiocese of Detroit) as the gym teacher in a green track suit.
A family friend from Fr. Meldrum’s home parish made the dreamcoat that was used for the 2012 performance and again for last weekend’s show.
Seminarian Jonathan Ligenza of the Archdiocese of Detroit was in charge of lighting for “Joseph,” working with Scott to design the lighting plan and master the new software in the renovated auditorium.
Initially, they were excited at the prospect of a new system and the many options it offered them for the colorful musical. But Ligenza ran into issues along the way, consulting with the software company and spending extra time during spring break to be ready for tech rehearsals in the days before the show.
“There was definitely a learning curve, but it’s a night-and-day difference from the old system, Ligenza said. “We used to use a huge electrical box, and now it’s all done on an iPad.”
“Joseph” was last performed at Sacred Heart in 2012; Fr. Meldrum was a seminarian at the time and served as the director in addition to playing the role of Levi.
As the musical returned to the stage last weekend, Fr. Meldrum served not only as the faculty advisor, but also as music director. He played piano while directing the pit orchestra, joined by musicians Stephanie Nofar-Kelly, Sacred Heart director of liturgical music; Msgr. John Kasza, pastor at St Therese of Lisieux Parish in Shelby Township; Kellan Winslow on percussion; and two friends of Fr. Meldrum who played for the 2012 show, father and son, Dave and Mike Marchetti.
Rave reviews from first timers
Beth Wagensomer’s parents came to Sacred Heart last year to see “H.M.S. Pinafore.” They enjoyed the show and were excited to return for this year’s musical, inviting Wagensomer and her family to join them. The family are parishioners at St. Frances Cabrini Parish in Allen Park. Wagensomer’s four daughters, ages 3, 7, 10 and 13, also attended the show while their dad stayed home with their youngest sibling.
It was the Wagensomers’ first time at Sacred Heart.
“It’s great to be in this beautiful building and see these young men putting themselves out there and perform,” Wagensomer said. “We were especially excited to see a graduate from Cabrini High School, Ralph Kaleniecki, come out on stage as one of the brothers.”
Kaleniecki, studying for the Archdiocese of Detroit, played the role of Benjamin, the youngest of the 12 brothers.
Austin Erdman and Margaret Crowley drove from the Grand Rapids area for the show. They learned about “Joseph” being performed at Sacred Heart from their friend, seminarian Tackman, and came to see him perform.
“I think having this musical put on by the seminarians is really touching,” Erdman said. “It humanizes them and shows they like to have fun and to use their talents. It allows people to come and see them in a casual light.”
Brotherly bonds
Forrest, a co-director and one of the brothers in “Joseph,” sees the brothers of Israel as a reflection of the relationships formed at the seminary.
“As brother seminarians, we all have our own quirks and personalities, but we still very much love each other, “Forrest said. “We’re all aiming for a relationship with Christ, and – God willing – for priesthood. We may have our differences, but we can still come together and be fraternal. It’s a bond we share.”
Fr. Meldrum notes that while the musicals and plays performed at the seminary are fun, they are part of the formation of the men who will one day be priests.
“We want every aspect of life here in the seminary to be formative,” Fr. Meldrum said. “Men are formed by the brotherhood and the friendships that happen here. Working on this together takes many hands on and offstage, and there’s room for everyone, no matter your interest. This provides the opportunity to make something beautiful with your brothers and to raise people’s spirits through song and music.”
That passion and enthusiasm, Fr. Meldrum says, will make its way into a future priest’s parish ministry by inspiring passion in those they serve.
“Performing these shows is pastoral because we aren’t just doing it for ourselves,” Forrest said. “We put in late nights at practice and learn our lines in order to offer it to our family and friends. It’s the epitome of priesthood, because I’m not here studying theology and patristics just for me, I’m studying for the people to whom I’ll minister.”
