Dreams Take Center Stage as The Wick Weaves an Amazing Tale of ‘Joseph’ in Living Color!

November 30th, 2024

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a retelling of the Old Testament story of Jacob (Troy J. Stanley) and his twelve sons. Joseph (Stephen Christopher Anthony) the favorite son of Jacob, is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. They deceive their father into believing Joseph is dead. Far away in Egypt, Joseph is thrown into jail after the Potiphar (also played by Troy J. Stanley) misunderstands his servant Joseph’s intentions toward the Potiphar’s wife (Sabrina Lobner). In time Joseph’s ability to foretell the future through interpreting dreams finds him in good favor with the Pharaoh (Aaron Atkinson). He is released from prison to become one of the highest ranking officials of Egypt. Years later, his now destitute brothers come to Egypt to ask the help of this official not knowing his true identity. He reveals himself only after testing their loyalty to one another after falsely accusing one of them of theft. Jacob and all of his sons are happily reunited at the end of the story.

The musical begins with the Narrator (Leah Sessa) presenting the story from a book. The tale is woven in a lighthearted manor, with intentionally eclectic musical styles featured throughout. There is the country western styled “One More Angel In Heaven” led by Reuben (Michael Scott Ross), a tropical feeling “Benjamin Calypso” led by Judah  (Jawan Hayes), an Elvis-like Pharaoh (Aaron Atkinson) sings “Song of The King”, a very French “Those Canaan Days” features Napthali (Derk Lawson), and the full ensemble joins in an over the top, 1960s styled “Go, Go, Go Joseph.”

The Wick Presents Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat! Photo by Amy Pasquantonio.

Though ever endearing, this production does have a few rough edges I’m sure will be worked out as the show progresses. A stage filled with able dancers is a wonderful thing to see, but the dancers look to be a mix of ability, with kicks, turns and extensions not currently matching. Sabrina Lobner shows off strong dance skills as the provocative Mrs. Potiphar however, and Jonathan Eisele and Abigail Marie Curran perform a powerfully executed Apache dance in “Those Canaan Day”.

There are some missed lighting, sound and costume opportunities in the Wick’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. As staging has mingled the Narrator in with the brothers there are a few times when she is singing that we visually struggle to locate her. She easily could have been followed with a spotlight for the audience’s sake. Though all the main character’s mics were fine, there were times when featured ensemble singer’s mics were off for solos lines and they went completely unheard. I was disappointed that the Wick with it’s costuming resources missed out on some great opportunities. During “Go Go Go Joseph” the ensemble came out in 1960s Go Go outfits, and it was a visual blast! However they did not do country western outfits for “One More Angel in Heaven”, or French cabaret outfits for “Those Canaan Days”. Most disappointingly they did not costume the Apache dancers in tradition Apache garb, forcing the male to dance in long flowing shepherd robes.

A talented Leah Sessa Sessa as The Narrator sings the difficult vocal role effortlessly and has unquestionably positive energy throughout the show. In the beginning she invests much time into establishing her connection to the children’s choir by chucking them under the chin and booping them on the nose, with wide eyes and overly animated facial expressions. This same energy turned to the audience doesn’t quite always work. In this production the Narrator is directly engaged in some of the scenes rather than watching them. Sometime that participation is demonstrated through intentionally clumsy attempts to dance along followed by mouthed apologies. So, the character becomes comic fodder which weakens rather than strengthens her role as Narrator.

The Wick Presents Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat! Photo by Amy Pasquantonio.

Stephen Christopher Anthony brings a lovely voice to the role of Joseph. As the setting of our story is timeless, he is able to add contemporary vocal embellishments which he does with joy. His acting is not as solid and not as joyful however as he rarely smiled and failed to portray the perky and perfect manner in which Joseph is traditionally played at the beginning of the show – adding to his brother’s dislike for him.

The children’s choir of 8 young performers are engaging to watch and remind us that this is meant to be a story as told to children. Jawan Hayes is delightful as Judah in “Benjamin Calypso’, bringing just enough island flavor to the role. Aaron Atkinson sings the heck out of “Song of the King” as the Pharoah and looks the role as well. He is missing some of the sexual bravado that normally accompanies the role, but it is a family show after all. Michael Scott Ross as Reuben turns in the most memorable cameo of the evening with “Poor Poor Joseph.” His voice is strong and his acting choices are clear – and it doesn’t hurt that the song is comedic. His performance was actually my favorite of the evening.

The Wick Presents Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat! Photo by Amy Pasquantonio.

The end of the show becomes a launching pad for the finale “Megamix” where the cast does mini-reprises of the show’s songs before the finale bows. The tale of Joseph and his brothers is a classic story of love and forgiveness. Lighthearted and true, it is solid family fare for a night out at the theatre.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat originally premiered as a 30-minute rock cantata in 1968 before being reshaped and professionally staged as a musical in 1972. It opened at the Royale Theatre on Broadway in 1982, received eight Tony Award nominations and went on to play for 747 performances. It was revived on Broadway in 1993 at the Minskoff Theatre for an additional 231 performances. A London revival also mounted in 1993 starred Jason Donovan, and later Donny Osmond as Joseph. Osmond’s performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was filmed and released on DVD.

Cast
Joseph: Stephen Christopher Anthony*
Narrator: Leah Sessa
Pharaoh/Levi: Aaron Atkinson
Jacob/Potiphar: Troy J. Stanley*
Mrs. Potiphar: Sabrina Lobner
Butler: Noah A. Lyon
Baker: Richaun Stewart
Apache Boy Dancer: Jonathan Eisele*
Apache Girl Dancer: Abigail Marie Curran*
Reuben: Michael Scott Ross*
Simeon: Quincy Legito
Napthali: Derick Lawson*
Issachar: Richaun Stewart
Asher: Frederick Scott Stampone*
Dan: Cody Knable*
Zebulon: Jonathan Eisele*
Gad: Noah A. Lyon
Benjamin: Cameron Jaye Scott
Judah: Jawan Hayes

Ensemble: Nia Bourne, Kalista Curbelo, Abigail Marie Curran*, Torie D, Allesandro, Melanie Farber*, Erica Kaylee Gouldthorpe, Caila Katz, Sabrina Lobner, Mckay Marshall, Gianna Mugavero*, Mackenzie Roberts

Children’s Choir: Lia Autumn, Marlana Cay Baker, Sydney Emerson, Taylor Friedel, Ava Raelee Gouldthorpe, Leyah Kesselman, Zoey Madden, Audrey Lopez Menda, Luke Sargent, Ava Scarfone, Maya Scarfone, Daisy Tanner, Margaret Tanner, Venezia Verga, Alexa Vergara, Olivia Wasser

*Indicates a member of Actor’s Equity Association

This production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will run until December 22nd. For single tickets and group tickets call the box office at 561-995-2333 or visit www.thewick.org for more details.