“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” that jaunty Andrew Lloyd Webber tunefest, is getting an all-stops-out Derby Dinner Playhouse production as riotously colorful as the lad’s flashy garment.
This cheeky take on the Old Testament tale plunges our cocky young hero (feisty Happy Mahaney), favorite 12th son of elderly patriarch Jacob (J.R. Stuart), into one dire situation after another. Those begin when his brothers, jealous of the coat bestowed by his father, waylay him and sell him into slavery in Egypt.
Michelle Johnson is the singing narrator who effectively sets the stage for the mini-dramas that erupt into catchy songs and dances (to Barbara F. Cullen’s zingy choreography) in a hilarious mixture of musical styles.
Prancing around in cowboy gear and swinging lariats, the brothers, led by Matthew Brennan as Levi, do a hoedown as they sing a cornball song called “One More Angel in Heaven” to their father who believes Joseph has been killed wrestling a goat.
In an Egyptian jail, Joseph is bereft as he sings “Close Every Door,” but confident he will eventually find peace of mind because “children of Israel are never alone.”
Joseph’s growing fame as an interpreter of dreams brings him to the attention of Pharaoh (hunky Sam Prince as a hip-shaking, motorcycle-riding Elvis clone in tight white shorts). Now he’s Pharaoh’s favorite and prescient for advising that bumper crops be stored against lean years.
Fleeing famine in their land, the brothers arrive in Egypt seeking food. Decked out as boulevardiers in berets, they throatily warble an overwrought French chanson (led by Tyler Bliss as Reuben) about “Those Canaan Days.” It’s the highlight of the show.
Following that comes a wildly energetic “Benjamin Calypso” number led by Tony Smith as Judah. All are reconciled as Joseph forgives his treacherous brothers, now reformed.
The musical, which began life as a 25-minute school choir piece in London in 1968, is produced by Bekki Jo Schneider and nicely shaped and paced by director Lee Buckholz. You’re likely to go away with the lovely ballad “Any Dream Will Do” (the finale sung by Joseph, the narrator, and the ensemble) playing in your head.
Charles Whaley is a longtime theater reviewer in the Louisville metro area. He has reviewed stage productions for The Courier-Journal, totaltheater.com, CurtainUp.com, San Francisco Bay Times and The Sondheim Review.
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August 23, 2009
THEATER REVIEW: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
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