Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Review)
Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat shakes MC tent July 5-10 Reviewed by Joe Blenkle/Sacramento Stage & Theatre
Max von Essen and Misty Cotton star in JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT now playing at the Music Circus through Aug. 10, 2003. Photo by Steve Kolb.
Oh boy...JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT opened at Music Circus Tuesday night and left my head swirling much like the multi-colors in the coat of the title character.
Despite having seen this production before under the tent (1998) and despite remembering that I enjoyed it immensely - I just didn't remember a lot of the show. This leads me to believe that, A.) My memory is failing, B.) The production has been tweaked a bit since its last visit, or C.) All of the above.
Of course it could have been the heat - or lack of it - last time the in-tent temperature hovered in the 90s. This time in MC's fourth show of the new season in the AIR CONDITIONED Wells Fargo Pavilion, the actors didn't break a sweat and I was feeling a bit underdressed in my usual attire of shorts and a T-shirt.
This Andrew Lloyd Webber musical (lyrics by Tim Rice) is a surprising (and humorous) merging of the new and the ancient. JOSEPH is the biblical tale of 12 brothers - one being Joseph (Max Von Essen) - and the coat of many colors he is given by his father Jacob (Chris Weikel). Joseph's 11 brothers are extremely jealous of all the attention he gets - as he is their father's favorite son - and sell him into slavery and then convince their father that he is dead.
In Egypt, Joseph eventually rises to the role of The Pharaoh's second in command after The Pharaoh (Robert Gallagher) learns that Joseph can tell the future by listening to people's dreams.
Joseph eventually gets the upper hand on his brothers when they come begging for food, but after realizing his brothers are truly changed men, their differences are resolved and they live happily ever after.
JOSEPH opens in modern times with a young child named Joe (Aaron Friedman) and his mother (Misty Cotton - who also doubles as the narrator for the show). Joe's mother - who insists on calling him Joseph - is trying to put him to sleep and begins to tell him the tale of a famous "Joseph" who became a very important person because of his ability to read the meanings of other people's dreams.
JOSEPH then turns into a melding of modern and Biblical, as young Joe is visited by his own dreams of Batman and Robin, Superman and Spider-Man - not to mention dancing images of Joseph's brothers singing the Country-Westernish "One More Angel in Heaven," and other tunes with Caribbean and French flavors.
Equally bizarre - the audience is treated to such things as Joseph's brother Levi (Richard Bulda) throwing a pass to the other brothers using a (stuffed) sheep; the cast taking pictures with a digital camera; and a wild rock n' roll frenzy as The Pharoah takes the stage - complete with a white jumpsuit - for an Elvis-like "Song of the Pharoah."
JOSEPH is really too wild to describe and must be seen to be fully appreciated!
Von Essen and Cotton teamed well as Joseph and the Mom/Narrator. Both have excellent voices and seemed right at home in the roles. Cotton, in fact, played the dual role opposite Donny Osmond and while this was Von Essen's first time in the multi-colored coat, he is well-practiced in Biblical roles having played an apostle in JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR on Broadway - as well as filling in in the title role on occasion. You can find out more about the talented young actor at www.maxvonessen.com.
JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT continues through Aug. 10 at the Wells Fargo Pavilion, 15th and H Streets in Sacramento. Performances are at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, with matinees on Thursday and Saturday at 2 p.m.
Tickets priced at $30-$46 (half price for children under 12) are on sale at the Wells Fargo Pavilion box office, 1419 H Street, or by phone at (916) 557-1999. Tickets are also available at Tickets.com (916) 766-2277. Visit the Music Circus' web site at: Sacramento Music Circus.
