| Kids’ Paw: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | | Print | |
| Written by Jeff Corriveau | |
| Monday, 20 August 2007 | |
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Some may think a production entirely by children would have to be less than enjoyable. Well, they would be wrong. This production focuses on the learning aspect of how to mount a production. Kids’ Paw teaches these children how to commit to something and the amount of work one must put forward. In watching this production, these children really know what’s going on. It isn’t just “stand there and sing, now move off stage". There is choreography for the children on a level they can handle so the show moves smoothly. It isn’t just getting kids on and getting kids off. The production was cute and entertaining as Joseph always is. Everyone is doing a fine job considering how much they have had to learn and in how little time they had. However, there are a few names that must be mentioned. Reed Rickards who plays Joseph is quite good and isn’t just about singing the show. He is acting and reacting to things around him and communicating well to the audience. He is in his fifth production with Kids’ Paw and like all the kids on stage he enjoys himself. The first character you meet in Joseph is The Narrator. In the case of this production, there were Four Narrators and one of them stood out to me for her voice and comfort on stage. Her name is Maria Jernigan and she is in the 6th grade. Many people always look forward to Act II with Pharaoh. Basically he is supposed to be Elvis. In fact to quote the Pharaoh in the production, “Pharaoh is in the building.” Pharaoh is played by David Ortiz an 11 year old and he is wonderful. He recreates moves and vocal techniques that Elvis had and we all remember and associate with The King. He is a real pleasure to watch. Finally, if I had to say two words about this production it would be SHOW STOPPER or SAM DIMIRSKY who played Asher, one of Joseph’s eleven other brothers. He sings for us two songs: “Benjamin Calypso” which is just that - a calypso number which is amusing, but is nothing compared to his Act I rendition of “One More Angel in Heaven.” In this number he appears in a cowboy hat and vest and you have to wonder what school owns this class clown. He is hysterical and his country western version of the song had me and those around me almost in the aisles. From his country twang to country moves he is worth every second of stage time.
Over all, everyone in this production deserves a round of applause just for their dedication. You can tell from the amount of fun they were having on stage that these students put everything they have into it and they are enjoying every minute of it. For more information on Kids’ Paw go to www.kidspaw.com. Catch their next production and sign up for classes which begin Sept. 15. Check ‘em out. |
Look out John Wayne and Garth Brooks because here comes your
replacement. 
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Me again. Of course you two (Shayna and Julia) think Godspell was amazing. You were obviously in it. And Jacob, I didn't say you were bad. I didn't see whatever play you were in. Godspell sucked, but I'm not sure about your's. If Kidspaw was my second family... ummm yeah!!!! Godspell was awesome....sweet. hehe okay people like you really tick me off!!you talk to one person and assume you know all about the group!being in Godspell was the most amazing thing ever and i wouldn't trade it for anything in the whole world!the people there are so nice and they open up to you so you feel like family and if you honestly want to critcize that it's your problem, not mine but i'm pretty sure i speak for everyone when i say that KidsPaw is like a 2nd family!and yeah maybe we yell and groan and complain about the hours but if you asked any of us if we would stop doing the shows the answer would be no because we all love each other a lot! ummmm. excuse me i have something to say to miss anonymous who dosent have the guts to stand up for what she says. Yes i played jacob and i know i wasnt very good then so ill save that making fun of children for you. also this was my first production and yes i am still very involved we just did s2s and it was amazing and i love it. Another thing is just because the hours were long dosent mean it wasnt fun i was tired and so were other people but we puled it off with jazz hands high and smiles wide and polished. I felt that though the short amount of time we had to prepared kept it fresh in my mind. also i love rocco he took me under his wing and taught me and gave me amazing direction i know he is scary looking and so does he but he has inspired me to act and leave him alone because he has more knowlege in his snot than you do in your whole body. A friendly note from Administration... Please refrain from assuming that you can say anything because you are posting anonymously. We would hate to start banning ip addresses because of inappropriate or offensive comments. We encourage your feedback, opinions and comments, and it is wonderful that you take the arts so seriously, but not if it begins to get personal. Thank you for your continued support and opinions, and the maturity to know how to state them in a non-offensive way. Laura Apelt Um, Joseph, I assume you are this little boy from the show, What. The. Heck. The Intern supports Kids PAW. OK? Oh, and you misspelled 'hear'. Remember, 'here' is 'where', 'hear' is 'ear'. 'Kay? yeah, girls. why dont yall talk about the show that the review was on!!!!! not godspell. oh yeah, and miss intern and 15 year old, stop bashin my friends. i would like to here you sing. You must be the girl who played John/Judas! No wonder you're so supportive of them! 1. Yes, I bashed 'Jesus'. Now, I could understand if it was because none of the teenagers had the range, but they couldn't have found someone better? He was pretty bad. His acting was not very convincing-actually, his version made Jesus look crazy. 2. Maybe it's got harmony, but it was too 'frilly' sounding. And how is it your business if I listen to pop. 3. Those aren't good hours for kids to be working. Surely there are child labor laws or SOMETHING. 4. My opinion isn't ignorant. I am informed. And I have done some school theater-we never have those hours. You may call that unprofessional, but I call it healthy. I've worked with other directors, and I've never flipped. 5. I don't know that I'd call Rocco a 'Teddy Bear'. I've never seen other directors to be so rude to children. And, 'honestly, honey', you're not helping your case...you're basically saying you guys didn't pay attention. It was alright. I liked some actors. Yes, I didn't like this Adam's acting or singing. His interpretation of the crucifixtion made it look like one big joke. Scratch it, he made the whole role look like a big joke. -Anonymous Wow, Miss Anon, do you know anything? I've worked for Kathi Lee and Rocco since I was fifteen and I think they're summer camp is ingenious. Godspell was pulled off in 15 days. That is, SINGING, ACTING, BLOCKING, DANCING, LINE MEMORIZATION, TECHNICAL and SET BUILDING, in FIFTEEN DAYS. So, being that I was involved in the production, I'll fill you in on things. 1) You bashed Jesus. The truth is, none of the teenagers in the cast had the range to do the singing required of the part. Adam was the improv coach for the show and the only male with the range. (You will also notice Judas/John was played by a female. Same reason. Also, she sprained her knee during the show performed for the church) The only other person who was over 18 in that cast was the girl who sang 'learn your lessons well' 2)Uhm.. duh it was like a choir? Musicals have these things called a 'score' and a 'score' has something known as 'Harmony'. Most teenaged casts cannot produce 'Harmony' while dancing. So what you called it 'bad' when it was technically 'good.' I bet you listen to Pop and call Britney Spears a 'singer' 3)Pushed nothing. In all honesty, the camp is LAX. Only 9-3 a day, with weekends off. The 1230 bed time and 0630 wakeup time is part of the LAST THREE DAYS of the camp. I bet you get less than that during the school year. Also, Rocco is a Teddy Bear. He only gets upset when actors aren't paying attention. You'd be jumpy too if you were on his time table. Honestly honey, do what they did in the time they do it. -The Intern Well, I'm not biased like the above poster, but I do have something to say about this group. Personally, I don't think they're that great. I have several reasons to support them, as well. They did the musical, 'Godspell' at my church. I wasn't impressed. 1. The ages. TeenPAW claims to be for what, 12-18? Well, as I flipped through my program, I saw several people above 18. The man who played Jesus-HE WAS WAAAY OVER 18. There was one girl that looked to be about 20. I just don't think that's very fair to give parts to people above the age requirements. Kids within the limits should have been the only ones to participate. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean they were bad-well, the girl wasn't, anyway. I thought 'Turn Back, O Man' was really nice, but Mr. 'Actor'-aka, Jesus, wasn't that great. 2. The singing-yeah, not that great. I mean, it was just...bad. Sorry, I really just tried to find a nice way to put it. They sounded like they tried too hard, like it was a choir. It's not a choir, it's a musical. Both choirs and musicals need to have good music, but they shouldn't sound like each other. 3. Those kids are pushed, way too hard. I got the opportunity to watch their rehearsal. I sat through a couple hours the day of their first show. Not bad. But earlier that week (Wednesday, I think), I went with my mom to get some paperwork. While she sorted through stacks in her office, I sat in the back of the sanctuary and watched. I might add that it was 11:30 at night, several kids looked tired and their directors were yelling at them. Well, the husband, Rocco, mostly. Kathi-Lee sat in the front doing nothing. My friend and I headed over the next morning (my mom had to get some work and I felt like bringing someone so I didn't stay home, bored to tears!)and talked to a couple of them. One girl, who looked no more than 13/14 told us she got home at 12:30 and was up at six that morning to get ready-and she didn't even have a lead! I thought that was crazy. These kids who did 'Joseph' are from 6-12. I hope that they weren't pushed. But anyway, that's just a 15-year old girl's two cents. I'm glad that you decided to praise this production after bashing the fantastic one that PCT did. Learn how to write a consistent review. |