Reviewed by Tony Annicone
Welcome back to many centuries ago for Theatre by the Sea’s third show of their historic 85th Season. This show is set in the 1960’s and is “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” which is the biblical story of Jacob and his 12 sons. It is a spectacular production starring Marie Eife as the Narrator and Luke Steinhauer as Joseph. It was written in 1968 by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice as a 15 minute cantata and now is a two hour high energy show that has a 22 member cast under the brilliant direction of Richard Sabellico who is also the choreographer plus marvelous musical direction by Ryan Edward Wise. Their combined expertise make this a must see show this summer.
The storyline is told by the Narrator who interacts with the other 21 performers in the show. Joseph has prophetic dreams and is the best loved son of his doting father, Jacob who gives him the coat of many colors. His 11 brothers become jealous of his prophecies and sell him into slavery in Egypt. There Joseph rises from house slave to become Pharaoh’s second in command because of his abilities to interpret dreams. Director Sabellico takes this story and creates many picture postcard moments along the way. He creates a traveling troupe of performers touring the country in 1967 called “Jacob and Sons Traveling Salvation Show” is the name of this acting troupe. He has the troupe enter up the aisles and do some ad libs during the show. Richard combines the moments of shtick and pathos to create a well rounded musical for the audience to enjoy. Richard also creates and uses a variety of dance styles including a hoe down, a tango, the limbo, the swim and a variety of 1960’s rock and roll. He taught his talented cast these intricate dances and they execute them in perfect unison. Richard has a keen eye for detail and this marvelous musical is a prime example of it.
Since this soft rock musical is almost entirely sung, Ryan not only taught the cast these songs but has the harmonies soaring within them. He plays lead keyboards and conducts the beautiful sounding 7 piece orchestra. Another outstanding aspect of this show are the incredible sets by Kyle Dixon. The multitude of gorgeous 1960’s costumes are by David Costa Cabral who always does a splendid job. Joseph’s three colorful coats are each breathtaking in their own right with the last one standing out perfectly with all the colors described in the opening numbers. Stage manager James O. Hansen keeps things running smoothly all night long.
The most important part of this show are the two leads. The Narrator is played by beautiful red head Marie Eife who returns to TBTS after appearing in “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Producers” last season. She has a fantastic soprano voice which soars up to a high A and she captures the joyful, dramatic and energetic aspects of this role. Some of her most impressive numbers include “The Prologue”, “Poor Poor Joseph” and “Go, Go Joseph.” Marie weaves her way in and out of the many numbers with ease. She is absolutely perfect in this role as if it was written for her. Brava! Her talented partner in this show is Luke Steinhauer as Joseph. He has a fabulous tenor voice whether he is singing softly and sweetly in “Any Dream Will Do” or with deep feeling and emotion in “Close Every Door” where he voice soars off the charts, sending chills up your spine with its poignancy. His interactions with the other cast members are marvelous especially his warm relationship with his father, Jacob. You need two strong performers to lead the ensemble and in this case the rest of the cast lives up to the high standards established by Luke and Marie.
The other 11 brothers have oodles of talent and also shine with their singing and dancing prowess. The standout solos include the country western song “One More Angel” sung slowly and sadly to Jacob and then with wild abandon by Bryan Dougherty in his lilting tenor voice while the obligato is sung by Abby Matsusaka with her lovely soprano voice, another voice that soars off the charts is Gerard Lanzerotti in the French type song, “Those Canaan Days” which is hilarious as the hold a note out for a long time and another powerful voice is Elijah Emmit Curry heard in “Benjamin Calypso.” The other talented brothers include Jared Scott Miller, Matthew Pashley-Roland, Maverick Hiu, Fabian-Joubert Gallmeister, (with a strong high tenor voice) Derek Hoyden, David Nick Alea, Marty Lauter and Wyatt Stone.
Another stunning performer is Michael Williams as the Pharaoh. His curled lip, pouting face and powerful voice fill the whole theatre as he makes the girls faint at all the right moments in his song. It prompts the audience to beg him to do an encore of the number. His diction is perfect as you understand every word of his song. The part of Jacob and Potiphar are well played by Tom Gleadow. He displays his warmth and humor as Jacob and his temper as Potiphar while clad in a gold Nehru jacket. The part of Potiphar’s seductive wife is well played by Melissa Jones who seduces Joseph and gets him thrown into prison. She strips down to undies and a garter belt getting Joseph in bed with her. The women have a lot more to do in this production than in the original show. Another strong part of the show is the “Mega Mix” where the energetic cast reprises most of the songs brilliantly. So go, go see “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” in Matunuck as the third musical of their historic 85th Season to lift you spirits during the hot and humid summer season. Tell them Tony sent you to escape the craziness of the world.
JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (25 July to 12 August)
Theatre by the Sea, 364 Cards Pond Road, Matunuck, RI
1(401)782-8587 or www.theatrebythesea.com
