Cessy Newmon
What do a hoedown, cabaret, calypso and Elvis have in common? They are all part of the amazing story of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT now onstage at the Alhambra! This is a very family-friendly show, and the audience had kids to seniors. The show is so energetic and fast-paced, that even the 6-year-old sitting near me was on the edge of their seat the entire time. It starts at 7:30 and runs about 1 hour and 45 minutes, including intermission, which makes for a great family outing.
The first of what was to become the musical dream team of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, JOSEPH was first produced as a 15 minute pop cantata in 1965. It wasn’t until long after the success of Jesus Christ Superstar that the show was in it’s more current version and was finally produced in Leicester, England in 1974. It took almost a decade after that to reach Broadway. Probably it’s most famous iteration was not until 1999, when Donny Osmond played Joseph in the movie version.
JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT tells the biblical story of Joseph through the use of a narrator (Aaron DeCicco) and numerous vignettes illustrating the chapters in Joseph’s life. Ms. DeCicco is a powerhouse of a singer, and opens the show as a teacher to a youth class. This class is a youth chorus comprised of 16 very talented youngsters ranging in age from what appears to be ages 8 to 15.
Markus Mann makes his entrance as Joseph, eleventh and favorite son of Jacob, and my first impression is that he is very much like Donny Osmond (considered by many as the penultimate Joseph). His voice is powerful and smooth. Gifted with the ability to interpret dreams, he tells his brothers that he has dreamt that they will one day bow down to him. Between that and the coat of many colors gifted only to Joseph by their father, the brothers are consumed with jealousy.
This show has a large ensemble cast with numerous notable cameos. These cameos are often performing in vocal styles of different genres. I’m not going to speak to most of the particular talents, as there wasn’t a weakness anywhere in the cast.
Erik DeCicco as eldest son, Reuben, leads the hoedown celebrating having sold Joseph as a slave. Potipher is the wealthy merchant who buys Joseph, but throws him in prison because his wife (Christina Anne Jordan) maliciously accuses him of trying to take advantage of her. Pete Clapsis must love his role, as he is reprising Jacob/Potipher for his third time since 2023.
In prison, Joseph correctly interprets the dreams of two other prisoners. The butler (Reese Abrhamoff), the prisoner freed instead of condemned, tells the Pharoah about Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams. In an Elvis-style tribute, Justin Murphy as Pharoah recounts his dream of cows and crops. Pharoah then puts Joseph in charge of preparing for the upcoming famine, making Joseph his second-in-command.
Second son Simeon (Kole Mitchell McKinley) leads the brothers in a cabaret-style number, complete with French accents, mourning the days when their tribe was well-off. To bring the story full circle, Joseph’s brothers travel to Egypt to beg for food during the famine. They do not recognize Joseph, and he decides to test whether they have become kinder by hiding a gold cup in the grain sack given to the youngest, Benjamin. In a calypso crusade, sixth son Naphtali (Richard Yarrell III) leads the brothers in begging for Benjamin’s release.
The show is full of fun and frolic, with choreography by Director Shain Stroff and co-choreographer Erick Ariel Sureda that evolves to match the varying vocal styles. I lost count of the costume changes, but it seemed like each time someone goes offstage, they come back wearing something different and as colorful as Joseph’s coat. All of the transitions are smooth and done quickly with a simple set.
JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT is at the Alhambra Theatre, 12000 Beach Blvd., June 20-August 11, 2024. Ticket prices vary based on show and seating. For reservations and a look at the treats yet to come for the season, go to alhambrajax.com or call (904) 641-1212.
By Cessy Newmon
Follow FOLIO!