By Mariah Newton
At the Juab Junior High School Auditorium, with a backdrop of rainbow-colored curtains . Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by the Nephi City Players makes for a nostalgic, family-friendly activity for a variety of audiences. It’s been 51 years since the show premiered as a “pop cantata” in a London school, and it may never lose its appeal. A quirky assortment of timeless pop songs makes for a hilarious, yet touching, reimagining of one of the most popular Old Testament stories. This production brings it to life with a cast of both young and old, fresh and experienced actors, dancers, and singers.
The musical by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice tells a familiar story from the Book of Genesis. Jacob (Richard Anderson) has twelve sons, but dotes on one in particular, Joseph, played by Andrew Thorn (also co-director with wife, Stacy Thorn), showing him favor and eventually presenting him with the titular dreamcoat. This enrages Joseph’s other brothers so much that they sell him into slavery and fake his death.[D1] Joseph’s rise from slave to one of the most powerful men in Egypt comes to a head when his family must come to him for aid during a famine and the story explores the power of forgiveness.
Thorn performs the role of Joseph with a great variety of emotions. When the wife of his master is attempting to seduce him, his discomfort visibly grows until he is left horrified, dismayed, and shirtless on the ground before prison scenery consumes him. He has long since proven himself as a powerful and gifted singer, but his performance of “Close Every Door” is the most haunting moment of his role. “Any Dream Will Do,” creates more nostalgia than I’ve ever felt while reading the Bible version of the story.
The two Narrators drive the plot of the show, as well as setting the tone. Sarah Thorn begins the show’s “Prologue” and her strength lies in her bold personality, while Christina Olson reveals an ability to sing with a great deal of attitude
From the beginning, this production relies on ensembles. The Narrators are frequently accompanied by a children’s choir with angelic voices, whose members are as young as four years old.
By the third song, “Jacob and Sons,” the audience is introduced to nearly all of the cast, and Jacob’s family has proven itself as a powerful men’s chorus. The performance of “Those Canaan Days” is a moment in which Jacob and his sons come together more beautifully than ever. This scene also elicited the loudest laughs from the audience.
The sons of Jacob (Richard Anderson) have many memorable moments individually as well as an ensemble cast. When Joseph receives the infamous coat, his brothers’ jealousy is almost enough to invoke pity. Indeed, Issachar (Nathan Caldwell) and Reuben (JD Parady) in particular are maliciously animated during the next song, “Joseph’s Dreams.” When the boys come to tell their father that Joseph is dead, Gad’s (Joseph Thorn) apathetic tone makes the boys’ true feelings obvious to everyone but their father. Logan Squire as Naphtali gets away with a great deal of sass while portraying his glee at Joseph’s disappearance. Around this time the other Narrator, Christina Olson, starts to strut her stuff in fine style.
There are several characters who make brief but memorable appearances. In the song “Potiphar,” Stephen Belknap reveals the depth and resonance of his young voice as the man in question. Potiphar’s wife (Stacy Thorn) says in her program biography that she feels reluctance about being on the stage, but appears to be a natural as Potiphar’s wife. Perhaps it helps that the young man she’s trying to seduce is being played by her real-life husband.
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Late in the show, the Butler calls on Joseph to help interpret the dreams of the Pharoah (also played byParady). When Parady takes the spotlight in “The Song of the King,” he impresses with his Elvis impersonation.
As one of the youngest leads, Tyson Memmott (Benjamin) looks positively panicked as he discovers he’s been framed for a theft, then grows increasingly somber as the scene unfolds.
Richardson’s performance is an emotional one. His reaction to seeing Joseph years after he has grieved him was nearly enough to make me tear up. And though the end of the musical is only minutes away, the cast is still dancing across the stage as though the night has just begun.
In this production, any technical errors are taken in stride. There were times when the mics broadcast the chorus more than the soloists, but the message was always clear. One dancer had a veil fall in her face during a pirouette, but she recovered with all the grace of a professional dancer.
It can’t be easy to direct, produce, and star in a show, but Andrew and Sarah Thorn do a fantastic job. It certainly feels like the entire cast worked easily together with the familiarity of one big, happy family. Marci Rasch is clearly a talented choreographer. The cast hardly stands still for a minute and their dancing often adds to comedic effect. Mike Price and Lane Johnson keeps the complex sound design well under control. The lighting often contributes to the onstage ambiance and lets the audience feel involved, thanks to Rebekah Thorn and Juab High School. Rebekah Thorn and Analee Sessions also make up a great stage crew and ensure everything is in place. The choir’s skills are courtesy of gifted conductor Verena Lenhart. The costuming skills of Gail Hyde and Valarie Westfall are already evident in the simple and often adorable costumes and the clothing matches the musical theme of each scene.
There are only four more opportunities to see the Nephi City Players perform Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, so grab friends, family, or a date and take a trip down to Nephi for a night of entertainment. After all, this is a musical for everyone of all ages to love.
Nephi City Players presents Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Lyrics by Tim Rice, Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Juab Junior High School Auditorium, 555 East 800 North, Nephi UT 84648.
March 22-23, 29-30, 2019 7:30 PM, March 25, April 1, 6:30 PM
Tickets: $5-7.50
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