THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 5, 1995 TAG: 9504050054
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
YOU MIGHT HAVE caught him on ``Star Search.'' Now you can see him wearing the coat of many colors.
It isn't the coat, though, that worries Sam Harris, who plays Joseph in ``Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' at Chrysler Hall through Sunday.
The new and quite elaborate staging of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's first musical emphasizes what in show business is called ``beefcake.'' With Joseph wearing little more than a loin cloth in several scenes, ``Joseph'' has been greeted with squeals in cities where Donny Osmond or soap opera hunks have played the role. It is the same with Sam Harris, whether he likes it or not.
``The first time I went to rehearsal, I looked at the costume and said `Hey, that's all there is to the costume?' '' Harris said. ``I'm a singer - not a hunk. I had to hire a trainer and start hitting the gym five times a week. I still do. I don't play the role with the beefcake angle. I'm in the costume, but I play him as a quirky guy.''
Harris, who just completed a Broadway run in the revival of ``Grease'' with Rosie O'Donnell, said: ``I was on vacation in France when I got the call to go to London and try out for this. I couldn't pass it up. I love the show. It's a very simple, accessible show that is for families. The music soars. It's the kind of music you can sing every night and not get tired of. It's told from a child's point of view.''
Several local youth choirs appear in the show with the touring cast.
``I'm on stage with them, although their rehearsals have been pretty separate,'' Harris said. ``It's a great feeling to look at those innocent faces - so overwhelmed by being in a professional show for the first time. It brings back memories.''
Harris first drew national attention when he sang ``Over the Rainbow'' and won the ``Star Search'' vocal competition. He kept on winning for 16 weeks.
``I was 22 at the time, and there was a bit of intense competition, but for the most part, the competitors on the show were pretty much like family,'' Harris said. ``I don't think any of us really knew the power that was happening. The power of television exposure is awesome. I got jobs from `Star Search,' but there was also a down side.
``For a long while, I couldn't lose the identity that I was just the `Star Search' winner. It took awhile to get past the schlock factor. The more I work, the more `Star Search' becomes a footnote to what I am.''
He played six characters in ``Different Hats,'' a stage show he developed in Los Angeles. It won him the Los Angeles Critics Circle Award.
Currently in release is his CD ``Standard Time/Different Stages,'' made up of standards and Broadway songs.
As for that fabled Technicolor Dreamcoat itself, all those spangles and beads come with weight. ``It weighs a ton,'' he said with a laugh, ``and I have to twirl it around. Sometimes it's a question of what's dragging whom.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
JOAN MARCUS
Sam Harris plays Joseph in ``Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat'' at Chrysler Hall through Sunday.
KEYWORDS: PROFILE BIOGRAPHY THEATER by CNB