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Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
by Copperstar Repertory Co.
Dreams can drive us to do amazing things. But Joseph’s
dreams are making his eleven brothers a bit jealous. Perhaps Joseph really is
being a bit “tactless and also rather dim” as he describes his dreams that
depict his brothers’ eleven small stalks of corn bowing down to Joseph’s one
large stalk of corn. Next thing the poor, stunned Joseph knows, he’s being
sold off to slavery in Egypt where things look bleak for the dreamer (who
doesn’t speak Egyptian very well). But the narrator tries to compel Joseph and
us to take heart. As she puts it, “we’ve read the book, and you come out on
top.” That book being Genesis, and the narration being part of the fun and
whimsical musical retelling of the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors
from this early collaboration between Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. THE PRODUCTION: Copperstar Repertory Theatre staged a lavish production of Joseph
and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Mesa Arts Center with a cast
combining adult and youth performers. Laura
Christian adds clever touches as both director and choreographer for the
show, as well as performing as the athletic Apache Dancer in Those
Canaan Days. Kari Hanson, Mary-Jo
Okawa and Tamara Wright team up for a large number of creative, quality
outfits and headdresses. Paul A.
Black’s impressive sets have a nice mix of ancient and modern to them, and
Jeff A. Davis dazzles with brilliant lighting touches throughout. Under those stage lights is a remarkably deep cast. Adult
performers many of the leads including Brady
Quisberg as Joseph who amuses singing of his dreams and working his way out
of prison. And when faced with prison in Close
Every Door, he hits just the right notes vocally and dramatically, genuinely
grateful when one of the young members of the children’s choir offers him her
candle. Leading us through his story with personality and terrific vocals is Kristin
Briggs as our Narrator. While Caleb
Allred is a hit as the swivel-hipped king of Egypt eager to keep Joseph’s
help and simultaneously keep the swooning Egyptian women to himself.
The young children’s chorus watch and sing from the
sides, doing a beautiful job with Close
Every Door. And the brothers and the brothers’ wives are a bunch of triple
threats. They shine crying and dancing over Joseph’s grave, crying and dancing
over their starvation (and hitting father Jacob every time he starts to wail
over the fate of his favorite son Joseph), groveling with base gratitude to
Joseph (actually, they eagerly look into their sack-full of food and then shrug
with a “meh”), cutting loose in the Benjamin
Calypso, and encouraging us to dream. Performed October 16 - 19, 2013 Rob Hopper ~ Cast ~
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THE
SHOW:
Principal
youth performers include Tucker Abney leading a fun and folksy dirge One More Angel with a great sense for the song’s humor. French
crooner Nate Dutson leads his
starving brothers in a hilarious staging of Those
Canaan Days. Dylan Pinion as
Judah leads an equally hilarious Benjamin
Calypso as the brothers try to save young Benjamin (Dylan’s real-life
brother Cameron Pinion, who looks at
his suddenly dancing and singing brothers like they’ve lost their minds). And Shanti
Okawa turns on the charms as Mrs. Potiphar who takes a liking to Mr.
Potiphar’s (comedic cameo by Matthew
Webster) new man servant Joseph.
Dan: Tucker Abney
Children's Chorus: