Marriott's 'Joseph' a Technicolor dream
Marriott Theatre's production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" demonstrates yet again how a skilled and savvy director can turn a middling musical into an engaging evening of theater.
I confess I didn't expect the oft-revived Tim Rice-Andrew Lloyd Webber warhorse - with its gentle lesson on humility and compassion, its feel-good message about dreams coming true and its innocuous score incorporating pop, rock, country and French torch songs - to delight me as much as it did.
But delight it did, and much of the credit for that rests with director/choreographer Marc Robin. Robin embraces the cheesy charm of this confection, best described as Webber-lite. But Robin underscores Marriott's production with considerable wit, which is reflected in his sly choreographic allusions to Jerome Robbins and Bob Fosse; visual puns smartly imagined by costume designer Nancy Missimi and set designer Thomas M. Ryan; and musical director Michael Mahler's gleeful - albeit fleeting - references to "Gunsmoke," "Bonanza" and "Jesus Christ Superstar" (the Rice-Webber musical whose success helped the duo get "Joseph" produced).
Set in Canaan (cunningly evoked via postcard), "Joseph" tells the story of Jacob's favorite son Joseph (played by Max Quinlan with a combination of casual arrogance and disarming naiveté). Joseph has a flair for interpreting dreams. Resentful of the affection - not to mention a certain multihued cloak - Jacob lavishes upon Joseph, his jealous brothers sell him into slavery.
A misunderstanding with the amorous wife of his master Potiphar (the lithe Roger Anderson reprising his role from Marriott's 2000 production) earns Joseph a prison sentence. He languishes there until word of his abilities reaches the Pharaoh (the terrific Bernie Yvon as ancient Egypt's answer to Elvis Presley).
The Pharaoh asks Joseph to interpret a rather troubling dream. Joseph's explanation saves the nation from famine and earns him a place as Pharaoh's second in command, a position that reunites him with his starving brothers who arrive from Canaan seeking relief.
Running just under 100 minutes, Marriott's third "Joseph" revival since 1985 is efficient, affectionate and wholly entertaining. Quinlan's boyish charm and the vocally robust male chorus earn kudos as does Susan Moniz for her genial performance as the Narrator. Then there's the lip-curling, hip-swiveling, gold jumpsuit-wearing Yvon, in fine form gliding gracefully around the stage on a Segway.
That said, this is Robin's show. His slick bowler hat and cane take on "Poor, Poor Joseph;" his hoedown-inspired "One More Angel in Heaven" and his exuberant (and aerobic) Act I finale (the familiar "Go, Go, Go Joseph") elevate "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" from pleasantly forgettable to enormously entertaining.
Bravo.
"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"
Location: Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire
Showtimes: 1 and 8 p.m. Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 4:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 1 and 5 p.m. Sundays through May 10
Running time: About 90 minutes, with intermission
Tickets: $45, dinner packages available
Box office: (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com
Rating: For all ages