Review

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
by Kroc Kids
 
It’s Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s early hit musical about Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, recounting how favorite son Joseph went from wearing his multicolored coat to his eleven brothers selling him into slavery to his imprisonment in Egypt and rise to Pharaoh’s right-hand man, all leading to a fateful reunion with his family from Israel. It’s one of the Bible’s greatest stories, and it’s one of the best musical comedies filled with a terrific score, colorful characters, great humor, and an even better message.

Director Siobhan Sullivan directs this rendition at Kroc Kids in San Diego, with sixteen-year-old veteran Joseph by the name of Shaun McGraw taking the title role and doing a nice job of it with strong vocals and an amiable personality. Narrating his story is Summer Blinco adding her excellent vocals to the demanding role, backed up by her assistant narrators Sarah Kennedy, Meagan Pitcher, and McKenna Barron.

The story they narrate includes many memorable characters, none less than the king of Egypt himself, the Elvis-ish Matt Noll who goes all out in the role while Joseph expertly interprets his prophetic dreams. Sean Boyd makes for a good, upper class and uppity Potiphar who tries to exert his will over his straying wife. Not with much luck. Jessica Merghart has a great sense of humor and impressive acting and dancing abilities that we see as Potiphar’s Wife and in other cameo roles during the show.

And then there are Joseph’s brothers – a fun lot who seem to embrace their roles more and more as the show gathers steam. Ben Read leads the country-western One More Angel in Heaven as they break the news to Dad (Jacob, played by adult actor Andy Yatsko) that their brother Joseph was killed defending them all from a crazed goat (said goat being killed by mean brothers so that they could soak Joseph’s coat in goat’s blood, with dead goat appearing as an angel alongside the singing angel in One More Angel). Haley Fletcher leads the starving group of brothers in their French dirge Those Canaan Days. And after Joseph tests his brothers by blaming Benjamin for stealing a precious cup, throwing poor Benjamin over his shoulder and carrying him over to a large dog carrier (into which Benjamin sadly crawls), Fenton Pare enthusiastically comes to young Benjamin’s (Luke Babbitt) defense in the entertaining Benjamin Calypso.

The ensemble does a nice job throughout, celebrating Joseph’s presentation of his Technicolor Dreamcoat with multi-colored pompoms, giddy and fainting over the presence of Elvis in the house, going bananas in the lively Benjamin Calypso, and summing up dreamer’s story with the dynamic Joseph Megamix.

Performs December 11 - 13, 2009

Rob Hopper
National Youth Theatre

~ Cast ~

Joseph: Shaun McGraw
Narrator: Summer Blinco
Narrators 2-4:
Sarah Kennedy
Meagan Pitcher
McKenna Barron
Pharaoh: Matt Noll
Potiphar: Sean Boyd
Potiphar's Wife: Jessica Merghart
Naphtali: Haley Fletcher
Reuben: Ben Read
Asher: Fenton Pare
Jacob: Andy Yatsko
Gad: Christian Hahn
Levi: Bryan Dorman
Simeon: Paul Ford
Issachar: Eric Pettersen
Dan: Adam Suda
Benjamin: Luke Babbitt
Zebulun: Claire Chiswell
Judah: Isaiah Daniels
Dannika Grady
Matt Noll
Brother's Wifes:
Anna Solis
Allison Walker
Jessica Merghart
Iris Morketter
Olivia Chaffee
Mary Oliverio
Emily Uribe
Kelly Dang
Megan Robertson
Sidney Scott
Sophia Rogers
Apache Dancers: Paul Ford, Jessica Merghart
Angel: Lorien Read
Ishmaelites, Camels & Goat:
Melani Monks
Megan Weber
Isabella Wagner
Evelyn Salayandia
Kylie Greaves
Margaret Poltorak
Molly Flannery
Featured Go Go Dancers:
Amy Oliverio
Merry Jane Orcutt
Alexandra Van Cleef
Natali Monks
Junior Go Go Dancers:
Micah Fong
Monique LeBaron
Rylee Olson
Aliya Maestas
Ensemble:
Ruthann Heerd
Haley VanBaale
Stephanie White
Carli Anderson
Sophia Berlin
Emily Norman
Shantal Botero-Velasco
Maddie Churchill
Roberto Nelson

Director and Choreographer: Siobhan Sullivan
Musical Director: Amy M. McDowell
Choreographer: Spencer John Powell
Stage Manager: Anna Ashmore
Costumer: Janet Pitcher

   

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