|
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by Christian Youth Theater  Any
Dream Will Do, but some dreams are really worth dreaming. This one
takes us back to the beginning during Those Canaan Days to that famous
story of Jacob & Sons and the Return of the King (in this case, “the
king” being the return of Elvis as Mr. Pharaoh Man). Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s most
amusing piece received a dreamy retelling by Christian Youth Theater-Tri City
that proved outstanding in every aspect of production from Director Jeremy
Lapp’s creative direction, Amy Kiley’s imaginative and varied
choreography, Chris Batchelor’s dazzling lighting effects, to their
sensational cast who brings it all to life.Lovely Narrator Emily Manassero guides us into the dream with her beautiful voice while providing a very sympathetic and engaged narration of the sometimes sad, sometimes mean, but usually humorous storyline. Braden McKinley lends his unassuming look and expressions to poor Joseph who doesn’t quite realize how upset his eleven brothers are getting while he’s relating his dreams of how their comparatively small stalks of corn will eventually bow to his enormous, golden stalk of corn. Eventually that anger gets Joseph thrown into a pit, sold to some shady Ishmaelites, and taken to Egypt where he is sold to millionaire pyramid owner Potiphar (Jason Perez). When Potiphar’s sexy wife (Havilah Duff) seduces Joseph (who resists as best he can, God love him), he finds himself thrown into a dungeon leading to his impressive Close Every Door number while encased in a chain-link fence that descends from above. But don’t despair yet. For the Narrator has read the book, and he comes out on top. Pretty soon Joseph is interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh himself – an ancient Elvis performed with great flair by Ryan Lane who loves flirting with the women in the audience, enjoying the adoration of his subjects, and who gets a little jealous when Joseph starts stealing some of his attention from them.
Performed through March 7, 2004.
Goat: Smokey and Bandit |
The
most hilarious scenes feature Joseph’s gang of brothers. In One More Angel
in Heaven, they break the sad but false news to father Jacob about how Joseph
gave up his life to protect them all from a crazed goat (performed alternately by
real goats Smokey and Bandit). As proof, they dismember the
hapless goat and spread his blood on Joseph’s tattered Technicolor Dreamcoat
(don’t panic – they hold up a sign that indicates no goats were harmed in the
making of the show … or were they…). As soon as Jacob goes off to
grieve, the Brothers and Wives start celebrating with a more up-tempo version
of One More Angel. But the greatest scene takes place while the brothers
are starving during a famine in Those Canaan Days – a comical scene
highlighted by some stunning choreography as the brothers throw and swing
around Canaan Girl (limber and brave Torrey Joyner) while other hungry
brothers keep trying to get at her with their forks and knives…