Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Highly Recommended ***** Anyone who has attended a production of Music Theater Works ( formerly Light Opera Works) knows that what they see will be as good as it gets! Over the years we have witnessed productions at Cahn Auditorium on the Northwestern campus that are as good as any touring show that Broadway sends in town. The only problem that I ever have with this company is the limited number of performances, which means that a great number of Chicago area theater goers will not get the opportunity to see the shining lights that they produce. Here is the scoop on the current “must see” production, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”. It is sensational!

Yes, this show has been around for some time now. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s first big hit is still filled with wonderful music and an enchanting story, taken from the bible , but with the added music and personality of our hero, Joseph ( brilliantly brought to life by Brian Acker) who has a great vocal range ( “Close Every Door” and “Any Dream Will Do” are amazing) and has the perfect charisma. The Narrator is also handled to perfection by Smantha Behen. The area theaters should take note. These actors are your stars of the future.

While the entire cast was energetic and powerful, I found myself truly enjoying the children’s choir from Youth Choral Theater of Chicago: Becca Blatt, Maddie Boulos, Fiona Chesney, Douglas des Groseillers, Lucy Ewing, DJ Hamill, Tessa hardt, Margaret Kenny, Zara Nunez, Antonio Parrini, Cecilia Perez, Isabella Skopis, Kasey Sliwinski, Andrew Solverson, Anton Tomacic , Jonah Wald, Elaine Xu and Eva Xu. They were all adorable, and in particular,we were drawn to the little boy, stage right in a red t-shirt, who seemed to know every line of every song and had the moves down to a tee. Not only were they adorable, they have great voices and stage presence and the actors ( in particular Mr. Acker) worked well with them.

The ensemble is made up of those who play roles and those who are the strength of the “Musical Theater”, the actual ensemble: Anna Marie Abbate, Jordan Breyeler, Rebecca Bradford, Liz Conway, Taylor DiTola, Sara Haverty, Jessica Minter, Anna Lynn Robbins, Sarah VanBlindsbergen and Mackay Whalen. Terrific!

Tommy Thurston does a showstopping Elvis-like Pharaoh and you have to love John Cardone as Joseph’s father, Jacob and the mighty Potiphar , played in a unique fashion that adds something special. For those of you who are not into this theater, the director of this production, Rudy Hogenmiller, who is retiring as the Artistic Director, is still going to do direction , so thank you Rudy for this wonderful Christmas gift- the gift of quality theater without having to drive to the loop. The choreography for htis production which is very slick and adventurous is done by Clayton Cross, who is one of the brothers as well, Benjamin.

As for the brothers, they are powerful and have voices that blend into perfect harmony. They are: Trenton Baker ( Reuben, who does “One More Angel in Heaven”, the country /western song), Daniel Hurst as Simeon, Joshua Heinlein as Levi, Gus Franchere as Napthali, Wade Tischhauser as Issachar, Peter Merikowski as Asher, Noah Villarreal as Dan, Juwon Tyrel Perry as Zebulun, Ryan Hamman as Gad, Leon Evans as Judah and as mentioned Cross plays Benjamin. The Butler is played by Heinein as well and Villareal as  the Baker.

The story, for those of you unfamiliar is biblical. Jacob had many sons, by many wives, His most cherished of wives gave him Joseph, who became his favorite. He was given a special coat of many colors. His brothers, jealous of the attention, sold him into slavery and they tell their father he was killed. He ends up in the jail of the Pharaoh who has some problems. Joseph is a dream reader and tells the Pharaoh of his future, making the Pharaoh like him and make him his right hand man. During hard times, the brothers come for aid and discover that their brother is now in power and can help them and we have a happy ending.

The lyrics in this musical are by Tim Rice and as you might suspect, there are no spoken words- everything is sung! The musical direction by Linda Madonia with an orchestra of 16 musicians is sheer perfection and always sounds great in the venue. The sets by Richard and Jacqueline Penrod are wonderful and considering the shortness of the run, amazing. Robert Kuhn’s costumes are solid and the lighting (Andrew H. Meyers) and sound (Aaron Quick) are perfect. This production is smooth as silk. I will tell you that the start tonight was delayed by a few minutes, but once it started, smooth sailing all the way. Two acts, each 50 or so minutes with one 15 minute intermission and the “Joseph MegaMix” ends the festivities of bringing us a top notch production of Sir Webber and Tim Rice’s biblical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” which will continue at Cahn Auditorium thru December 31st with performances as follows:

Thursday 12/26  2 p.m.

Friday,12/27   2 p.m.

Saturday 12/28  2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Sunday 12/29   2 p.m.

Tuesday 12/31  8 p.m.  Happy New Year!

Tickets range from $35 and students and younger/less than 25 can purchase at fifty percent off.     

To purchase visit www.MusicTheaterWorks.com or call 847-920-5360

The Cahn Auditorium is located at 600 Emerson ( at Sheridan Road) in Evanston.

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