“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”

Highly Recommended **** Fifty years ago, a small little pop cantata was unveiled. It had music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice and was about twenty minutes in length , as it told the story of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, with some variations from the Bible rendition. Not a word was spoken! The entire show was sung. Over the years,  songs and story were added to until it became  a full Broadway production in 1982 (14 years later).

Over these many years, I have seen countless productions, on many Chicago area stages ( including Munster Indiana) and have been witness to many a young talent finding their niche in Musical theater. I was taken aback when Citadel Theatre in Lake Forest announced that this would be their big musical for the holidays. First, because they have a very intimate space and a tiny stage. Second, because they would need a great number of male ensemble members with great vocal abilities ( this is not an easy score) and third, where would this small company find a strong enough Joseph to carry the show.

Once again, Scott Phelps, Artistic Director of this company celebrating 16 years of bringing quality theater to the North Shore, has put all the puzzle pieces together to bring a very solid ( albeit smaller) production of this family favorite to the stage in Lake Forest. Under the solid direction of Robert D. Estrin, who uses the teeny stage to full advantage, with a much smaller cast than we are used to, this is a solid production that will please all ages. What else can one ask for?

The set (Erich Luchen) is very simple, but also very practical. The middle appears to be pyramid shaped allowing entrances and exits and the musicians to be part of the production. Several of the cast members also participate in the playing of this wonderful music. The costumes ( Sarah Lake Rayburn) are wonderful including a “coat of many colors” that is unique and will not remind you of any previous one you may have seen. Very inventive. The lighting (Diane D. Fairchild) and sound (Box Boxer) are perfect and the few props in this play are well done by Mark Holly. Ryan Brewster and his musicians do a great job on making themselves sound like a much larger orchestra. The choreography by Jake  Ganzer is very clever given the limited space that the Citadel stage offers. Very impressive!

What made this production special is the children’s chorus ( a little different from you may have seen in past productions). Eight adorable kids, Emma Sitati, Ethan Sitati, Hanna Prask, Katie Henken, Allison Gregorio, Jocelyn Goldman, Emiko Chichester and the bright- eyed, Luke Chichester, all sing with lovely voices and are a part of the show that I have not seen before. The brothers are jealous of their father’s favorite, so when he gets his coat of many colors, they decide they must get him out of there. They sell him and pretend that he has perished. When Joseph is being sold into slavery, these youngsters don beards and become the Ishmaelites. Clever!

Unlike other productions, in this one, the Narrator (story teller) is shared by two women. Laura Thoresen and Carmen Risi. They both have strong voices and because there are two, the harmony that they offer in several spots adds something special to an already solid score. Joseph! What can I say about this young actor who is new to our Chicago scene and lucky for Citadel auditioned for this role.Jacob Barton is a name you might want to write down. If you see that he is doing any musical, ever, you want to purchase a ticket right away! He is fun to watch and when he sings  “Any Dreams Will Do” and “Close Every Door” ( a show-stopper) you will see what I mean!

“The eleven brothers are quality singers as well. Derek Fawcett (who also does Potiphar), Marcellus Burt ( Gad, who does a great “Benjamin’s Calypso”), Eric Deutz as Benjamin, Peter Gertas as Zebulum, Artem Lazarev as Napthali, Brian Mengler as Isaachar, Shane Roberie as Rueben, Kyle Ryan as Levi, Benjamin Salt as Asher (who also does the Butler), Ryan Smetana as Judah and Ryan Jozalitis as Dan. The dual roles of Jacob and The Pharoah are handled with great skill by JP Thomas. His “Pharaoh/Elvis character is terrific. I was surrounded by some high school kids at today’s matinée and I am not sure they all knew who Elvis was, but this actor does a great job with the voice. He needs to have some work on his hips. When Joseph becomes the favorite of the Pharoah and the brothers become destitute, they set off for Egypt seeking help. It is then they discover that their brother is special and they have a happy ending.

The female roles in this production are handled by  the Fabulous Five: Jenna Fawcett, Sarah Bartley, Lily Cox, Chamaya Moody and Brittani Moore. These five talented ladies do it all! They sing, dance, act and all in all add something special to this production. The lesson to be learned from this production is not just that of the bible story, but that a smaller theater company can with the right leadership, bring a BIG production like “Joseph” to its tiny stage in Lake Forest and make it work! This one surely did!

“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” will continue at Citadel Theatre located at 300 S, Waukegan Road ( route 43) just South of Route 60 thru December 30th with performances as follows:

Thursdays 7:30 p.m.

Fridays and Saturdays  8 p.m.

Sundays 3 p.m.

December 18-23

Tuesday-Sunday at 7 p.m.

EXTENDED RUN DAYS AND TIMES

Matinees  12/22 and 12/23 at 1 p.m.

12/27-12/30

Thursday  7:30 p.m.

Friday and Saturday  at 7 p.m.

Sunday at3 p.m.

No Show on Christmas

Tickets range from $40-$45 and can be purchased by calling 847-735-8554  ext 1 or online at www.citadeltheatre.org

Plenty of free parking

Running time is  approx. 110 minutes with one intermission

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”