Colorful “Joseph” is Amazingly Entertaining at Moline’s Music Guild
I’ve never been a big fan of the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice fable, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” which sold out its Sunday, June 8 performance at Music Guild, Moline.
The Biblical tale (based on the Book of Genesis) — first set to music by a 20-year-old Lloyd Webber in 1968, in a school 15-minute pop cantata – has a fairly ridiculous, nonsensical story, and despite the fact that it’s entirely sung-through (with no dialogue), it drags on in key sections.
That of course is no fault of first-time Music Guild director Karen LeFebvre, or the uniformly excellent 53-person cast (including over two dozen kids), led by Casey Scott as Joseph, Bruce Duling as Jacob, Lauren VanSpeybroeck as Narrator, and other main roles filled by Kirsten Myers, Matthew Downey, Evan Gagliardo, Joseph Nguyen, Eli Schroeder, Stephen Scott, Joseph Wren and Joe Urbaitis.
The cast of Music Guild’s “Joseph.”
The family-friendly, eager-to-please musical is best appreciated for its visual and sonic splendors, a collection of set pieces, and a varied pastiche of musical numbers. The supremely solid 14-piece orchestra is led by veteran music director Amy Trimble, who’s justly enthusiastic about the popular score.
Acclaimed as one of the most enduring shows of all time, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is a reimagining of the Biblical story of Joseph, his father Jacob, eleven brothers and the coat of many colors.
Told entirely through song with the help of a main character Narrator, the musical follows preferred son Joseph. After being sold into slavery by his brothers, he ingratiates himself with Egyptian noble Potiphar (also played by Bruce Duling), but ends up in jail after refusing the amorous advances of Potiphar’s wife (Jess Fah). While imprisoned, Joseph discovers his ability to interpret dreams, and he soon finds himself in front of the mighty but troubled, Elvis-inspired, Pharaoh (played by Myers).
Joseph’s solution to Egypt’s famine elevates him to Pharaoh’s right-hand man and reunites him with his family.
LeFebvre was smart to put Scott and VanSpeybroeck as the leads – they both possess easy charisma, confidence, and beautifully strong singing voices. They especially shine in “Any Dream Will Do,” “Joseph’s Dreams,” and “Go, Go, Go Joseph.” VanSpeybroeck’s warm smile lights up the stage every time she appears.
Casey Scott & Bruce Duling
Scott literally soars in his impassioned, impressively powerful “Close Every Door,” sung from Joseph’s prison cell, which shows a neat lighting effect by having the cell bars as shadows.
The light-hearted nature of the show is embodied by the many costume changes, musical parodies, and briefly toward the beginning when VanSpeybroeck pulls out a cell phone to take a selfie with the group.
The energetic score is full of catchy songs in a variety of styles, from a parody of French ballads (“Those Canaan Days”), to country-western (“One More Angel in Heaven”) and calypso (“Benjamin Calypso”), led by the great soloists Joe Urbaitis, Evan Gagliardo and Matthew Downey, respectively.
Lauren VanSpeybroeck
The biggest musical tribute is the silliest, “Song of the King,” by Kirsten Myers, decked out as a ‘70s-era Elvis, letting loose below a Vegas-inspired sign, “Welcome to Pharaoh’s Egypt.” Myers has a booming, muscular voice, but doesn’t do much to evoke Elvis’s swiveling hips (the King wasn’t so young and raucous by that point, I guess).
Pharaoh immediately does a reprise of the same song, which is unnecessary and drags out the show for no reason.
The men’s chorus in the brothers’ songs is terrific, showcasing some wondrous harmonies. “Those Canaan Days” is particularly good in its waltzing lament, and interpolation of a very entertaining tango-style dance featuring Stephen Scott and Maryl Sommer.
The dance highlight of the show was at the close of the first half for big chorus number, “Go, Go, Go Joseph,” with lots of ‘60s-inspired costumes, in wild colors and patterns, many guys wearing shades, and many girls in high white go-go boots. It’s an exuberant dance party.
The talented choreographer here is Ava Coussens; set designer is Kevin Pieper; costume designer is Linda Kozelichki and lighting designer is Jacob Laufenburg.
While two palm trees on stage have been recycled from the local Parrothead Club donation for the previous Guild show, “Escape to Margaritaville,” most of the first act set is very clean and simple. There’s just a white backdrop (with beige “stone” steps), onto which Laufenberg projects a wide variety of colors usually along the top, many perfectly connected to the song of the moment (like colors of the dreamcoat in that number, and later of the French flag for the French song).
In the second act, there are six tall set pieces, evoking Egyptian carvings. Because this is “Joseph,” there also many reprises at the close of the show, starting with the inspirational “Any Dream Will Do” and “Close Every Door,” backed by the children’s chorus, who add to the show’s multiple colors with a rainbow of hues in solid shirts.
As many musicals do, the bows are combined with reprises of songs the cast sings, and “Joseph” has a supersized bows, with a long, ecstatic “megamix.”
Performances will continue at Prospect Park Theater (1584 34th Ave., Moline) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, June 12-14, plus 3 p.m. Sunday, June 15. Tickets for “Joseph” are $20 for adults/$15 children (12 and under), available by calling the box office at 309-762-6610 or by visiting the QCMG website, www.qcmusicguild.com.
The cast of Music Guild’s “Joseph.”
