Let’s catch a show in town, FIU

A cast of FIU theater actors will perform a production of José El Soñador at Miami’s Dade County Auditorium July 29-31.

Tickets to the Broadway-caliber show are $32-$45…but the FIU family may enjoy a special 2-4-1 rate using the code “JOSE321” when purchasing tickets through Ticketmaster or JoseEnMiami.com.

FIU student Carlos Bowers makes his debut as a leading man in "José El Soñador" July 29-31 in Miami. Among the cast backing him are, from left, Jorge Hernandez, Fabiola Cepeda and Carlos Gastelum.

The new Spanish-language adaptation of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – the first to be publicly performed by the award-winning team of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice – is being produced for Teatro de Broadway by two-time FIU grad Lorenzo Lebrija ’00, MBA ’07, former president and CEO of Seraphic Fire.

Current School of Hospitality and Tourism Management student Carlos Bowers plays the lead role, while the show is under the skilled musical direction of Emmanuel Schvartzman ’09, a veteran of several FIU Theatre productions. The also show features current FIU students Daniel Dooling, Fernando Lamberty and Patrick Rodriguez, as well as alumna Amy Alvarado ’08, in supporting turns.

“I’m really excited to be in the show,” Bowers said. “It’s such a classic.”

“It’s quite fortunate, actually, that FIU is producing all this talent,” Lebrija said. “And it’s not like we set to cast only FIU grads because I was involved. It makes me feel happy and proud of the university.”

Two-time FIU alumnus Lorenzo Lebrija received a bachelor's in political sciences in 2000 and an MBA 2007.

José El Soñador, the producer says, was the perfect show to mount as he prepares on the next chapter of his life: Episcopal priesthood. Next month, Lebrija and longtime partner, former FIU law professor Troy Elder, will relocate to the Empire State so he can begin his studies at the General Theological Seminary in New York City.

“José is very much about a dreamer – about how we all need a dream,” he said. “It’s the perfect fit as an embark on this pursuit, a lifelong goal.”

After receiving his MBA from FIU, and leaving Seraphic Fire, Lebrija recognized that there was a market for Broadway-caliber productions in Spanish. Launching productions such as José El Soñador in Miami also was one of his dreams. He couldn’t be more pleased to see the Webber-Rice show be his Miami swan song.

“It’s such a fun show,” he said. “I promise, no matter how you walk in, you will leave with a smile on your face.”

On top of treating the community to the staging of the musical, Lebrija wanted to give back by making the 3 p.m. show on Saturday, July 30, a benefit for The Miami Foundation. Children 12 and under can see the show for a small donation – “whatever they have in their pockets at the theater” – while adult tickets are $20.

José El Soñador performances are scheduled for Friday, July 29, 8 p.m.; Saturday, July 30, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, July 31, 3 p.m.