Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Andrew Lloyd Webber was only 19 years old when he was asked to write a piece for a local school choir, to sing during an Easter service. He asked his friend Tim Rice (then 22) to write the lyrics, and the two settled on the Genesis story of Joseph and his coat of many colors. As originally performed by those children, the work was only 15 to 20 minutes long.

After a number of additions, changes and performances by amateur companies, the full production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” opened on Broadway in 1982. Now it has returned to the Sacramento Community Center Theater.

The show, the retelling of the beloved Bible story, is full of all those things that make for a fun musical – sibling rivalry, betrayal, fratricide, deception, slavery, seduction, imprisonment, execution, and famine. A natural for a fun evening.

The new production, under the direction and choreography of Andy Blankenbuehler, is a lively, energetic 90 minutes of nonstop singing and dancing. In creating a version of the musical more to 2015 tastes, Blankenbuehler has eliminated a children’s chorus, present in many productions (since this was essentially a children’s story that is told as a dream of the lead character) in his cast and has replaced them with scantily clad women and bare-chested men, which the audience didn’t seem to mind at all.

Though there is a graphic seduction scene it is done so tastefully that even the little 3-year-old sitting in front of me wouldn’t realize what was going on, so it’s quite kid-friendly.

In this day of digital effects, one does not have to have expensive sets to create an elaborate setting. The actual set pieces for this show (designed by Beowulf Boritt) are curtains, moveable blocks and steps, but the projections on the “walls” and in one instance the costumes of the performers are pretty spectacular and make you forget that there are actually no impressive sets on the stage. All are enhanced by the lighting design of Howell Binkley.

But if there were savings on the set, there was none in the costumes of designer Jennifer Caprio, especially the coat of many colors itself (particularly in its second appearance) and the costume of the Pharaoh.
Leading the cast are newlyweds and former American Idol contestants, Ace Young as Joseph and Diana DeGarmo as the narrator.

It is DeGarmo who keeps the story flowing in the most demanding role of the show. She’s energetic, cute and funny and has a set of pipes on her that rocks the house, though it tended to be shrill, which hurt my ears.

Young is a fine Joseph, looking tall and handsome with a charisma that charms the audience. He gets the opportunity to display his voice in the solo “Close Every Door.”

But the supporting cast actually make more of an impact. Brother Reuben (Brian Golub) takes the lead in “One More Angel in Heaven,” a salute to country and western music, while brother Simeon (Paul Castree) shines in “Those Canaan Days” (a parody of French ballads) and Judah (Max Kumangai) heads up “Benjamin Calypso.”

The show stopper, though, is always Pharaoh’s song, “Song of a King,” sung by Ryan Williams in the manner of an Elvis Presley. Williams gyrates and thrusts his hips, courts the audience and pays homage to the King of Rock and Roll. His encore is built into the song and the audience loved it.

There is stunningly precise choreography in several numbers. Particularly outstanding is “Canaan Days,” with the antics that go to divvying up a rat into 11 portions to serve for dinner.

The show’s final number is the ballad “Any Dream Will Do,” a beautiful duet between the Narrator and Joseph, and it set up the finale, “Megamix” with all the cast dressed in white. It seemed to be as long as the entire second act and had the audience clapping and bouncing along with the cast.

This show is always fun and this production does not disappoint.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

The Music Circus doesn't exactly have a 'cast of thousands' for its outstanding production of 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,' but with 48 members of the Music Circus Junior Company for starters - along with a large adult cast - the play puts about 75 people on stage.

Director/choreographer Richard Stafford has chosen to present the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical closer to its original format than is generally seen.

Webber was only 19 years old when he was asked to write a piece for a local school choir, to sing during an Easter service. He asked his friend Tim Rice (then 22) to write the lyrics, and the two settled on the Genesis story of Joseph and his coat of many colors. As originally performed by those children, the work was only 15 to 20 minutes long.

After a number of additions, changes and performances by amateur companies, the full production of 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' opened on Broadway in 1982.

The first Music Circus production of 'Joseph' appeared just one year later, in 1983, with Jimmy Osmond in the title role. (His brother Donny starred in the film version, made a few years later.)

Although 'Joseph' originally was written for a children's choir, that element wasn't added back into the play until the 1991 London Palladium production; a children's choir subsequently became a feature of the U.S. touring company. This 2010 Music Circus production is the first time the original musical score - with choir - has been presented in Sacramento.

Jennifer Paz, as the Narrator, starts the show off with the young people's chorus. Paz starred as Kim in the first national tour of 'Miss Saigon,' and she played both Cosette and Eponine in Broadway's 'Les Miserables.' She brings genuine sparkle to this role, and interacts well with the children. She's a real treasure.

Max von Essen reprises his title role performance from the 2003 Music Circus production of this play. He's a local favorite for his roles in 'Sweeney Todd,' 'Cabaret' and 'Jesus Christ Superstar,' and most recently was seen in Sacramento in the touring company of 'Xanadu.'

Once again, von Essen gives us a strong, commanding Joseph.

The story is the whimsical tale of Joseph, favorite son of Jacob (Paul Ainsley), who is singled out from his 11 brothers and given a colorful coat by his father.

His jealous siblings gang up on him, take away his coat and sell Joseph into slavery. The torn coat is dipped in sheep's blood, and Jacob is brought the sad tale of his son's demise.

Joseph becomes the slave of Potiphar (also played by Ainsley) until his wife (Naomi Kakuk) seduces the young slave, who then is thrown in jail. He then begins to interpret the dreams of the butler (Michael McGurk) and baker (Aguirre) employed by the Pharaoh (David Engel). Joseph's skill brings him to the attention of the Pharaoh himself, who also suffers from confusing dreams, and who appoints Joseph as his No. 2 man to get Egypt through an approaching drought.

That this grim tale could be told in such an entertaining manner is surprising. But with lyrics like 'And when Joseph tried it on, he knew his sheepskin days were gone,' how could it be anything but charming?

Joseph's brothers have some of the best musical numbers in the piece, especially the wild hoedown of 'One More Angel in Heaven' and the 'Benjamin Calypso' (which highlights Lain Gray's Judah).

Engel's Pharaoh makes a memorable entrance, and when he takes microphone in hand to sing ... well, he's a true 'king' in every possible sense of the word.

Richard Bay, who surely must be 120 years old by now, designed the animal puppets used in this production. I've enjoyed Bay's whimsical puppets for as long as I've lived in Davis, and was delighted to see his camel meandering across the stage.

Marcy Froehlich's costumes - particularly for Joseph's coat, the Pharaoh and his entourage, and the Las Vegas show girls - are outstanding.

The Music Circus has an ingenious arrangement of lifts to raise and lower various parts of the stage, at different points in time; the entire stage also can turn.

I haven't seen such an imaginative use of a lift system for a long, long time; this added greatly to the show.

'Joseph' never fails to delight, but this production delights a bit more than most.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

While I was not permitted to review Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, by the Davis Musical Theatre Company's Young People's Theatre, because the newspaper policy is to not review children's theatre, I decided to write and post a review anyway.

This is an amazing production. Credit goes to MJ Seminoff & Emily Jo Seminoff, who directed, choreographed, and designed the sets and costumes. The sets reflected the shoestring budget, but when you have a cast of 47 talented kids on stage, you can forgive a bit of skimping in the set department.

Katie Quiring, Tyler Warren and Erin Carpenter also helped with choreography and the cheography is one of the strengths of this production, as each scene gave such a delightful "tableau," each different from the one before. Partly this was due to the size of the cast, but much was due not only to the design of the numbers, but the crispness of the performers. (I particularly liked Joseph's brothers popping their heads in from the side of the stage.)

Costumes were inventive, using things that kids would wear anyway (matching jeans and tennis shoes) with a bit of "costume" on top and delightful headgear. Joe's coat, designed by Jez Cicero was one of the best I've seen in prior community theatre productions I've reviewed. Truly spectacular.

As for the cast, it was exemplary. The role of the narrator was divided up among three singers, Caitlin Humphreys, Kennedy Wenning and Rebecca Rudy, who blended well and who each had good solo voices.

Chris Peterson, as Joseph, was simply outstanding. His bio in the lobby says he has been performing since age 6 and has done 30 shows and his experience shows. Not only is he completely at home on stage, but he has a terrific voice that never wavered once.

Joseph's brothers gave great performances. I don't know why, after so many years with the high school jazz choir, but I'm always surprised to find a chorus of young men, in their mid-teens, who are comfortable singing and dancing on stage, and who do it better than some adult choruses I've seen over the years. Little Matthew Fyhrie, as Benjamin, was adorable. In some ways he reminded me of puppy Mabel, stuck in with all the big guys, but mimicking their every move and doing it very well.

Soloists in various numbers, Nora Unkel in "One More Angel," Mark Lillya in "Caanan Days" and Meek Craig in "Benjamin Calypso" did a great job. When Craig reprised her song during the curtain call, her movements were so fluid she appeared to have no bones at all.

Staging for "One More Angel" was such fun, with Noel Parente playing the goat the brothers slaughter to convince their father of Joseph's death.

Andrew Lemons was somewhat sabotaged, as both father Jacob and the Pharaoh, by a faulty microphone which prevented his voice from being heard most of the time. Still as the Elvis-Pharaoh he gyrated nicely and deserved the screams of the girls.

The Ishmaelites, Alex Totah, Danika Carlisle, Ella Gallawa, Guiliana Salerno, Jumi Nanakida, Eric Nishiyama, Maria Martinelli, Matt Lemons and Sally Li were adorable, all being the youngest members in the cast, all made up with long beards.

By any standards, adult or children's theatre, this was a terrific show. The theatre was nearly full tonight and is almost sold out for the three remaining performances, so I guess word has got about and people are coming to see it, even without a review!

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

What a difference a theater makes.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is the first production to audition, rehearse and perform in the Davis Musical Theater Company’s new Hoblit Performing Arts Center, at 607 Pena Drive. Though the theater is still not completely “finished,” and though the smell of paint still permeates the nostrils, there is already a sense that production values for DMTC are on the rise.

For one thing, there are marvelous new programs, designed by Heather Sheridan and Dannette Vasser, with real photos and cast bios included, something I’ve been asking for for years.

For another thing, the set (designed by Director Michael Miiller) looks like something built for the theater, not something built to be moved in and out quickly in the last week before opening. There is a strong, sturdy back wall, with 12 inset stained glass windows, representing the 12 Tribes of Israel, and a large double door through which central characters make their appearance, as from a dream, on a cloud of smoke. And there is a marvelous kalaidoscope of colorful geometric shapes on the stage floor. Before the first notes of the overture float up from the new orchestra pit, the audience has a lovely visual to take in.

“Joseph” was never intended to become the runaway hit that it has become. It was a 20 minute throw-away piece, written in 1968 to be performed by a London school group. It was not until 1973 that it was expanded into a full West End production and has now broken box office records around the world. The Guinness Book of World Records lists “Joseph” as the longest running touring musical production.

This is a show which can easily be a full blown musical with all sorts of special effects, or something a bit more modest to suit the constraints of a community theater such as the Davis Musical Theater Company.

As the title suggests, this is the story of Joseph (Ryan Adame), favorite son of Jacob (Rich Kulmann) and his wife (Julie Kulmann) and the jealousy of his 12 brothers, which lead them to sell their brother into slavery and convince their father that he had been killed, only to have Joseph become, by a series of curious circumstances, the second most powerful man in all of Egypt. It is all told in a manner that was designed to entertain children. Bible stories lite.

“Joseph” cannot succeed without a strong narrator, who becomes both story-teller in the here and now and participant in the “back then” parts of the show. Andrea Eve Thorpe, last season’s Evita, handles the job masterfully and director Miiller has given her fun things to do. She looks beautiful, interacts delightfully with the children, and has that spark that makes you keep watching. It doesn’t hurt that she sings well too!

Ryan Adame as Joseph seemed to be having difficulty in spots getting the right key at the start of some of his songs, but he managed to get back on track handled the role well.

There is a small, but enthusiastic children’s chorus: Andrew Lampinen, Cass Olson, Lisa Parente, Rachel Pinto, Sara Pinto, Kaylynn Rothleder, Rebecca Rudy, Meghan Vanderford and the cute-as-a-button Linnea Lampinen, the youngest of the group.

Robert Coverdell, as brother Isaacher, does a wonderful rendition of the western hit, One More Angel in Heaven and has a striking on-stage presence, even when part of the ensemble.

Mike Jones was a commanding Pharoah, “The King.” His entrance lacked the pizzazz of the last time DMTC performed this musical, but he still made an impact and really got into his character.

Director Michael Miiller was also the show’s choreographer and created some nice visuals, particularly for the dancing wives, Marisa Casillas, Kris Farhood, Dian Hoel, Helen Spangler and Julia Spangler.

Jeannie Henderson outdid herself with the costumes, which ranged from blue sequined mini-skirts for the Egyptian wives to something so colorful and eclectic that it could have come from the costume shop of the old “Laugh-In” TV show.

As the cast took their bows and patrons began to leave the theater, perhaps a new DMTC tradition was born. Most of the audience gathered around the fence to the orchestra pit and stood there listening to what was almost an impromptu concert. The size of the crowd as they applauded at the conclusion seemed to be a surprise to conductor/keyboardist Eric Daniels.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat works well at the Hoblit Performing Arts Center and is a fun way to use all of the new DMTC toys to their best capacity.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber has his fans and his detractors, and while his more recent works have found their share of criticism, it may be that his most genuinely popular work remains his initial collaboration with Tim Rice back in 1968: Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

"Joseph" was originally penned as a 20 minute program for a public school. The success of that production was such that it was expanded into a 40 minute production for a "fringe fair," then an hour-long production for London's West End, and finally a two-hour hit that enjoyed a lengthy run at London's Palladium.

The show is this week's offering at Music Circus, directed by Leland Ball, with musical direction by Dennis Castellano and costumes by David R. Zyla.

From the moment one enters the theatre and sees the multi-colored kalaidoscopic stage, the mood is set for a rollicking good time.

In the opening sequence (set in modern times), "Little Joe" is getting ready for bed, with Mama there to tell him a story. As Little Joe, Aaron Friedman is delightful. The kid's a real pro, having first appeared on the Music Circus stage in 2001. This is his second production of "Joseph." While he doesn't have too much to do in Act 1, he comes into his own in the show's finale.

The dialog for this scene appears to have been written specially for this production. It is at the very least a recent addition, as Joe prays for "Harry, Hagrid, Ron and Hermione" (and the Harry Potter books weren't even a twinkle in J.K. Rowling's eye back in 1968). There are also references to Giants hitter Barry Bonds and to various superheroes.

The scene does an excellent job of setting up the entire story as a child's dream, much as the opening sequences in the Wizard of Oz do for explaining the actions and the characters that Dorothy encounters after she flies over the rainbow. (The Barry Bonds reference, for example, explains why the Biblical Joseph would be playing baseball with his father!)

As to the story, it is, of course, the whimsical tale of Joseph, favorite son of Jacob, who is singled out from his 11 brothers and given a colorful coat by his father. His jealous siblings gang up on him, rip off his coat and sell Joseph into slavery. The torn coat is dipped in sheep's blood and Jacob is brought the sad tale of his son's demise.

Joseph becomes the slave of Potiphar (Chris Weikel) until his wife (Megan Hart) seduces him and then he is thrown in jail. There he begins to interpret the dreams of the butler (Danny Bergold) and baker (Michael McGurk) to the Pharoah and his skill brings him to the attention of the Pharoah himself, who also suffers from confusing dreams, and who appoints Joseph as his #2 man to get Egypt through an approaching drought.

That this tale could be told in such an entertaining manner is surprising. But with lyrics like 'And when Joseph tried it on, he knew his sheepskin days were gone' how could it be anything but charming?

As Little Joe falls off to sleep, the Biblical Joseph arises from his bed and the Bible story begins. Max von Essen is a strong Joseph, a commanding presence with an overlay of mischief in everything he does.

As Joe's mother, who morphs into the story's narrator, Misty Cotton, who previously performed this role with both Donny Osmond and with Sam Harris, is perfect. She has a lovely voice and her diction is so clear that one can understand every word.

Joseph's brothers (Kyle Gonyea, Michael-Demby Cain, Richard Bulda, Danny Bergold, Michael McGurk, Cameron Henderson, Jonathan Stahl, Jacen R. Wilkerson, Jordan Bass, Don Alden and Joseph Medeiros) are each strong singers, dancers, and occasionally acrobats, but Bulda as Levi and Kyle Gonyea as Ruben stand out from the rest. Bulda takes the lead in the wild-west rendition of "One More Angel in Heaven," breaking the news to Jacob of his son's "death." Gonyea belts out "Those Canaan Days" (a dramatic French chanson) with sometimes breathtaking force. Michael-Demby Cain as Simeon leads the "Benjamin Calypso" (which includes some audience participation).

Robert Gallagher's Pharoah is a hoot. The confines of the Music Circus stage do not lend themselves for the traditional entrance via sphynx, but his entrance is memorable enough, and when he takes mic in hand to sing....well, he's a real "king" in every possible sense of the word.

Kudos must be given to the imaginative staging of the set changes, which also serve to advance the "dream" notion, as little Joe, in his Spiderman pajamas is carried off, sleeping in his bed, by techies dressed as some of his favorite superheroes.

Very limited seating is available for this popular production, which runs eight performances only. Matinees are given Thursday and Saturday at 2 p.m., but "Joseph" is a short show. Even with a late start, 25 minute intermission, and the traditional extended curtain calls, the evening performance is over by 10 p.m.. But no one will leave the theatre feeling short changed. And the kids should love it.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

There is one big thing wrong with Davis Musical Theatre's production of "Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," which opened Friday night at the Varsity Theatre. It's full of so many delightful sight gags and surprises that to mention them in a review would spoil the fun for people intending to see the production (and one would hope that includes most people in Davis--it's that good).

The Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice musical retells the biblical tale of the tenth and favorite son of Jacob. The father's favoritism is demonstrated by his gift of a coat of many colors. In one of the Bible's more famous tales of sibling rivalry, Joseph's jealous brothers gang up on him, rip his coat and dip it in goat's blood, sell Joseph into slavery, and tell the father that Joseph has been killed.

While this may not seem fodder for a fun musical evening, the Webber-Rice script is a delight from start to finish. Originally written as a 15 minute program for children, reception was so great, that the writers expanded it into a full length musical, with varied musical styles, incluing rock, country and western, and calypso.

Under the hands of director Bobby Gainger, DMTC's "Joseph" is a high energy show with very few weak spots. To get the bad out of the way first, the sound system needs a bit more oomph. It is a shame that so much of the story is missed because even with body mics, the sound just can't get over the accompaniment of the on-stage band. If there is anyone who is not already familiar with the Bible story, some of the plot might be a bit difficult to follow. However, there is such visual fun that, as my companion noted, "who cared?"

The sound system was particularly unfair to the Narrator, Marilou Ubaldo. Ms. Ubaldo sparkles on stage with terrific stage presence, a great voice (proven in "Little Shop of Horrors" earlier this year), and infectious smile. That most of her lyrics were undecipherable was not her fault, but the fault of insufficient amplification.

Despite some pretty impressive theatre credits, Jeremy Starr doesn't yet command center stage, but he held his own as Joseph and shows promise. He has a wonderful voice.

Other principals give solid performances, especially Carl Dvorcek as Pharoah (no, I will not spoil the surprise). Clocky McDowell is a good Potiphar, the Ishmaleite to whom Joseph is sold. Amy Friedman is his wife, who attempts to seduce Joseph, and, as a result, gets him thrown into jail. Evan Monheit is a lot of fun as Joseph's brother Levi, singing "Those Canaan Days."

All of the brothers--Marl Valdez (Ruben), Francisco Goes da Silva (Simeon), Turtle Akona (Napthali), Jouni Kirjola (Isaachar), Ian Rothman (Asher), Clocky McDowell (Dan), Kenneth Fischl (Zebulon), Carl Dvorcek (Gad), Alex Matias (Judah) and Edward Bianchi IV (Benjamin) do a wonderful job. Bianchi also appears as the child, reading the bible at the start of the show who morphs into Joseph in a really pretty impressive on-stage sleight of hand.

But the real stars of this show are the director (Grainger), choreographer (Lori Jones), musical director (Steve Isaacson), Costume designer (Jean Henderson), lighting designer (Arthur Vassar), and set designer (Mark Allen). With the possible exception of Ubaldi, no one performer stands out as exceptional, but all working together under the direction and design of the backstage crew create a whole that is simply outstanding.

Jones has choreographed several dance numbers which are far and away the best I've seen on the DMTC stage. With high energy imaginative staging and obvious hours of work to create cohesion, they are not to be missed.

Vassar's lights are spectacular, especially in the title song.

Henderson has had great fun with her costumes. Without giving anything away, the costumes for the girls in the Pharoah's number were inspired.

Allen's stage is fairly plain, but the elements he brings to it--like a sphynx and a pyramid or two, greatly added to the fun.

It was also fun to see the band on stage, though having a band on stage always presents projection problems for the performers, as in opening night. Still, the antics of Isaacson were fun to watch and the show would have suffered had the band been offstage, as they usually are.

"Joseph" is not perfect. But this production comes as close to perfect as I've seen at DMTC. It's a great show for kids and adults who accompany them will not be disappointed either.