A Utah Theater Review by Ben Christensen
Utah has no shortage of talented youth, and that definitely shows in Merit Academy’s finely-tuned production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Judging by the performance I saw tonight, I expect to see many of these cast and crew members continue to shine in both community and professional theater.
I was impressed by the singing and acting talent of the entire cast, but a few particularly stood out. Ethan Edwards (Ruben) seems to really have fun with his role, and that sense of fun is infectious. Josh Brown (Benjamin) develops his character even when out of the spotlight, through little silent backstories that he plays out with the character’s brothers. Nathan Agle shows great versatility in his very distinct portrayals of Potipher and then, after a quick costume change, the Baker. Masha Taggart (Potipher’s Wife) is hilarious as Joseph’s unwanted seductress. Kristian Huff radiates charisma as the Pharaoh, who is an Elvis-like heartthrob to his followers. The Narrators (Marcella Shipley and Allison Boone), apart from having beautiful singing voices, become characters themselves as they interact playfully with the characters onstage. And then of course there’s Nate Warenski, who plays Joseph as the well-intentioned but obliviously self-centered git he is at the beginning of the play, growing to the more mature, compassionate man he is at the end. Warenski’s emotional range comes through especially when (spoiler alert!) Joseph is finally reunited with his brothers and father.
It’s not only in acting and singing that the students of Merit Academy shine. The program includes an extensive list of students who contributed as choreographers, costumers, hair stylists and makeup artists, stage crew, prop designers, and set constructors. All of these elements were professionally done, but what stood out to me most were the costumes. I enjoyed the little touches, like Potipher’s argyle socks and the poodle skirts with cats instead of poodles, worn by Pharaoh’s servants. I was also impressed by the titular dreamcoat, which was large enough to be a parachute and could easily have contained every color named in the song about it. Also deserving of a special mention is Pharaoh’s gold and blue makeup, which has exactly the right mix of “ancient Egypt” and “rock star.”
In tonight’s performance there were a few technical glitches here and there—mics that didn’t come on when they were supposed to—but not more than you’d see in a well-done community theater performance, and nothing so bad as to detract from my enjoyment. Similarly, a few actors missed a note now and then, but overall the performances were quite impressive. I was not surprised to see my nine-year-old daughter enjoy the show, as she is a theater enthusiast herself, but I took it as a good sign that my six-year-old son was just as captivated from start to finish. Be sure to catch this play while you can—it would be well worth the price of admission even if you had to sell your brother into slavery to buy a ticket.
Merit Academy presents
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
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Loved Nate Warenski’s voice and hope he produces something I can purchase. He also is a great actor. We came to see a niece in the children’s choir and had fun watching the whole staff of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The Children’s Choir was superb.