| Joseph's Amazing Dream Coat.. .A Little Less Than Amazing | | Print | |
| Written by Jeff Corriveau | |
| Monday, 30 July 2007 | |
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The technical aspects of the production are quite enjoyable and over all the cast is quite good. As you enter the house you see a simple set of platforms to create the hills of Egypt and other various locations. The rest of the set is brought on as one sees fit to create a few other environments. A lot of credit should be given to the costumer who has had to costume a cast of approximately twenty and many of them require anywhere from two to four costumes each. I also have to mention a scene or two of the lighting. The jail scene - which really creates and brings you into a jail cell through the use of a gobo and the use of tight area lighting. The same can be said for the "orgy" scene. The lighting keeps your focus since the downstage is kept dark and the focus is all upstage on the brothel-type atmosphere. As for the cast, they are pretty good over all. Steve Stacy plays Joseph and is good... not as good as his role in Man of La Mancha at Smithfield Little Theatre but he is still quite enjoyable.
The disappointment amongst the cast for me was the Pharaoh. This character as written has an Elvis quality to him, including the hip swaying, “hound dogging”, Elvis vocal “uh huh-ing”. Usually this role is a show-stopper as he enters with his Elvis-esq song. In this case it was just an entrance and a song. Another person to mention is the Narrator, which is a difficult role mainly because it requires a complete creation of a character with nothing from the script. It also has a difficult vocal part since the singer must both have a head voice and at times be a belter. In this case the belting technique fell a little short and the character was lacking, which brings me to the biggest issue with the production, the direction. This cast is good. This cast is capable of much more. This cast could have just watched the movie. Much of what we see in this production is based on the movie version with Donny Osmond. Unfortunately, this means
To be fair, if you enjoy musicals you will enjoy this production of Joseph. I was just disappointed after seeing PCT present A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and enjoying it SO MUCH. This production runs through August 19 at PCT. |
The eleven brothers of Joseph are probably
the best thing in the production.
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I wish the reviewer had taken the time to mention the costume and lighting designers (Julie Perkoski and John Wilt) by name since he was so pleased with their efforts. I know programs weren't given out at the final rehearsal, but he could have asked anyone sitting around him. I saw the opening night show. The costumes do ROCK! A quick perusal of the program reveals that the credit goes to one Julie Perkoski. I also agree that the brothers all pull together to make a great ensemble cast who truly entertain. This theatre group consistently pulls off productions that are well worth the price of admission and, from Joseph to Benjamin, the cast of 'Joseph' really delivers! Kudos all around. I attended both the dress rehearsal and a paid performance because, in fairness, a rehearsal is a rehearsal. I felt that Joseph held back on the rehearsal night but he brought his voice out a bit more on the performance night. He is a fantastic actor and really has the right look for the part. My only real disappointment with him is that he didn't have the vocal chops to WOW me on the climactic notes in 'Close Every Door'. I attended opening night (the first 'paid' attendance). Though I agree with your general assessments, I think your assessment misses the mark a bit. I for one am perfectly fine with a stage show that mirrors the performance of the movie version. Kudos all around to the cast, particularly to the brothers who were indeed very animated and entertaining. Additionally, I think that the Narrator was excellent, hitting the high notes, the low notes, and belting it out over the music 'soundtrack' which was often too loud. Joseph was very good, but a bit too quiet in parts. Though Pharaoh did not have the vocal chops necessary to carry this part off, and he sang too fast as well, I commend him for effort. I also agree with the articles assessment of the costumes. Though this is community theater with mostly volunteers, it was on par with some professional touring productions I've seen. I highly recommend this production, particularly if you know and like the play - you will find it a very entertaining rendition. |