Coast performer takes centre stage in Joseph

Hibiscus Coast performer and podcast host Sophie Rado is returning to her musical theatre roots this month, taking on the role of the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Auckland’s Q Theatre.

Rado, who co-hosts the podcast Stand Up Again with husband, MoreFm morning host Nick Rado, will perform in nine of the production’s 17 shows from September 26 to October 10.

It’s a step back into a world she first entered as a child. Rado began musical theatre and dance at the age of nine before training professionally in England. She later worked across Europe and on cruise liners.

After moving to New Zealand, she changed direction professionally, working in wellness and as a yoga instructor, but says her love of musical theatre never disappeared.

About two years ago, she decided to audition for Centrestage Theatre Company, leading to appearances in Anything Goes, La Cage aux Folles and The Wedding Singer.

“It reignited my passion for theatre,” she says. “I realised I wanted to keep musicals in my life.”

The opportunity to audition for Joseph was particularly appealing because of her connection with the show.

“It was one of the first I watched and it was the one that started my love for theatre.”

A conversation with broadcaster Hayley Holt about Holt’s experience as a professional ballroom dancer also encouraged her to take the opportunity, she says.

The Narrator is a demanding role and Rado says she will rarely leave the stage during the performance. However, she is looking forward to having her children, Billy, 8, and Beau, 11, among the audience.

The production is being presented by LNR Productions, established by producer-performers Logan McAlister and Rose Stretton, with Tracey Stretton directing.

The cast includes Andrew Papas, whose credits include Romeo & Juliet and Titanium; performer Nick Hall, also known as drag artist Anita Wigl’it from RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under; Andrew Allemora, who has appeared in Hairspray and Priscilla Queen of the Desert; and Patrick Kelly, whose stage credits include Les Misérables, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Phantom of the Opera.

Guest choreography is by James Luck, also known as Elektra Shock from RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under.

For Rado, the production brings her back to the show that helped spark her interest in musical theatre in the first place.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat runs at Q Theatre from September 26 to October 10. Tickets are available through iTICKET and Q Theatre.