“It feels wonderful,” Barrett says. “It’s home. Beautiful people, beautiful energy. And interesting people, because the things they deal with are unique. And of course, I’m one of them.” Barrett has multiple sclerosis. “I love singing,” he continues, “and this gives me an opportunity to sing in a style I wouldn’t normally. I lean toward jazz, and this is to the meter. You can’t mix it up; you’ve got to hit the beat. It makes me work my voice in a different way.
“Steve has the show taking place in an institution for people with disabilities. All of a sudden, something moves within them, and when it’s done, they’ve changed. It’s magical. When you’re in the first week of rehearsal and you hear the Phamaly voices sing the closing number and you already feel tears coming...there’s a connection between this production and this particular company that transcends the worldly.”
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat opens today in the Space Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Complex and runs through August 10; for information and tickets, $20 to $30, go to phamaly.org or call 303-893-4100.
Thursdays-Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.; Mon., July 28, 7:30 p.m. Starts: July 10. Continues through Aug. 10, 2014
