Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

On Opening night, the audience didn’t, couldn’t wait until the last chord played and the final phrase sung. They burst into a standing ovation and thunderous applause while the characters sang, “The world and I, we are still waiting, still hesitating, any dream will do.”

Jeremy Palmer as Joseph in PHAMALy’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat PHOTO: P. Switzer

Under the perspicacious direction of Steve Wilson, the musical magic of Donna Kolpan Debreceni, and the dancing choreographed minds of Debbie Stark, Cindy Bray, and Teri Westerman, PHAMALy opened its 16th year with the fortuitous production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s awesome production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Playing at The Space Theatre, DPAC, through July 31 on Friday/Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons, the bottom line is if you miss this production you will miss an opportunity of a lifetime. It’s that plain, that simple, that direct.

Through sheer determination, unshakable commitment, imbedded talent, PHAMALy (Physically Handicapped Amateur Musical Actors League, Incorporated) has wowed audiences for 15 years, each year gaining status, and attention locally and nationally, but this year the bombardment of the any dream will do kernel of truth carries PHAMALy to new heights, new dimensions, new thought provoking tickling of the imagination.

Joseph found life in a 20-minute high school project in 1967 through the musical genius of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Well, actually Joseph found life a very long time ago in the book of Genesis in The Old Testament. Webber and Rice gave it Technicolor life with their vibrant music, fun and poignant lyrics. Joseph had no intention of standing still for a 20-minute Easter concert, demanding to be revived in the ’70s, making its way to Broadway in 1982. Joseph continues to breathe life into audiences all over the world.

A simple story, a universal story, a human story about Jacob of Canaan and his 12 sons, Jacob’s unabashed favorite, Joseph, the jealousy expressed by the remaining 11, a spectacular coat of many colors, and drastic measures by the brothers to destroy that which they thought stood in their way of their father’s love. A powerful story no matter how you cut it, or who tells it whether it is a seven-year-old reading it aloud for the first time, or a wizened teacher reading it aloud for the 800th time.

Webber and Rice gave it legs, courage, color, spice, and inspiration.

Then came Wilson. Any dream wouldn’t do. He wanted something a little more specific. He reached for the stars, brought one home, and set it down in the midst of the Space Theatre.

A round platform sits in the center of the stage, surrounded by tables of small cups. A voice requests patients report to the Common Room. In they roll and file in orderly, obedient fashion. In the mental institution they have little choice. Robotically, they take their medication, and then they begin to return to their rooms. One slowly breaks away from the group, climbs to top of the platform and plaintively slowly, softly he begins to sing “If my life were important I would ask will I live or die, but I know the answers lie far from this world.”

Skillions of theatre productions can take the breath away at various points, but few have the capacity to deliver the knock out punch within the first 15 seconds of opening.

This is the song Joseph sings in prison in Egypt. This is the song a patient sings in a mental institution. This is the song sung by PHAMALy.

As the others return to the lone singer, a man wearing a spectacular colored coat with an ethereal air, approaches the one on the platform, removes his coat, and puts it on the one to be Joseph.

The man in the ethereal mist is the Narrator, performed with power, dignity, strength and gut-level feeling by Leonard E. Barrett, Jr.

The one, who now wears the coat, becomes Joseph, played to the hilt with heart by Jeremy Palmer. Bright colored pieces of costumes appear, and the others don them over their drab hospital outfits.

Transformation melts hospital patients into delectable, delightful characters from the pages of an ancient book written so long ago. The fun begins with its playful music combining country, western, calypso, and rock ‘n’ roll.

Ray Angel projects Jacob’s affection for his sons with pride, not being able to help himself over feeling something special for Joseph.

The green-eyed jealousy bug colors the eyes of the 11 brothers. Don Mauch plays Reuben, Mark Dissette plays Simeon, Daniel Traylor plays Judah, Sean Francis McGee plays Levi, Kevin Ahl plays Napthall, Kevin Pettit plays Isaacher, Jason B. B. Dorwan, plays Asher, Michael J. Danahey, plays Zebulum, Matthew MacCarthy plays Gad, and Ry Feder Pruett plays Benjamin. Normally a whole list of actors in one category wouldn’t be mentioned one by one, but these guys are good. In the crowd of 11, each one uncovers his character’s personality; they shine, when the conniving scheming brothers have sold Joseph as a slave. Now they have to explain the favorite one’s disappearance to Jacob. With tongue in an eloquent cheek to western rhythm, they sing “One More Angel In Heaven.”

Stephen Hahn meets two characters head on: Potiphar and the Pharaoh and he wear their cloaks with graceful dignity, deliberate humor, and justifiable emotional wings. Potiphar is more then willing to cut some slack for the slave that is until his wife deliberately seduces Joseph. Lyndsay Giraldi slithers her seduction routine upon Joseph. He doesn’t know what hit him, until Potiphar discovers them. Giraldi plays with the humor as her come hither look bombards Joseph with a clutching grip, then melts into the innocence of charm for her overbearing husband.

Switching gears, Hahn turns his demeanor into the Pharaoh, the King, with incredible energy, strong voice, and delicious humor.

With one spectacular musical number after another, Daniel Traylor wearing Judah’s robe belts out in sheer delight Benjamin Calypso. With all the brothers and ensemble, the beat, the energy, shoves this song to a highlight of the evening. And then it’s over, sort of. Joseph gains his place in royalty. He forgives his brothers, and all is well. The shreds of Egypt and Canaan are peeled off and dropped, and there stands the cast in blah shapeless hospital garb, still singing “Any Dream Will Do.”

This production goes beyond spectacular, beyond awesome. Every member of the cast took their characters to task, allowing them to speak, breathe and sing from “the inside of their hearts,” and then poured it out for everyone to experience.

With the theatre in the round, genuine creativity came from Charles Dean Packard’s mind to create a set with illusions, surprises and workability.

The costumes designed by Mallory Kay Nelson had to be sheer inspiration. In spite of the bright colors, the sashes, the hats, the jackets, the Canaan and Egyptian flair, always the reminder of the hospital garb, always the reminder of the trapped spirits and souls, always the reminder that truth lives in the words: any dream will do.

Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will never ever be the same of just fun music, poignant moments, and charming scenarios of dreaming dreams. PHAMALy has turned it inside out and upside down painting it with a new perspective in brighter colors, breathtaking reality, all coming from the inside of their hearts.

After you’ve experienced this show, thank PHAMALy, and then again, and then once more because, guaranteed, you will never be the same.