Rarely has so much entertainment value been packed into just ninety minutes plus intermission than in La Mirada Theatre and McCoy Rigby Entertainment’s thrillingly directed and performed revival of the international musical smash Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Taking the Book of Genesis as its inspiration, the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice gem has Old Testament hero Joseph (Chris McCarrell) sold into Egyptian slavery by eleven brothers jealous of the multicolored coat given the next-to-youngest by their all too obviously favoritism-showing father Jacob (Peter Allen Vogt).

Once in the land of pyramids, camels, and the Sphinx, our hero’s ability to interpret dreams gets him promoted from human property to second-in-command to none other than Pharaoh (Daniel Dawson) himself.

Later, when famine strikes the land and Joseph’s starving brothers head off towards Egypt in search of food, who should they meet there but …. (I’ll let you do the math.)

Entirely sung-through (that means no spoken dialog for the Broadway-unsavvy), Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat offers audiences the most delectably eclectic blend of pop music genres/eras of Lloyd-Webber’s half-century-long career.

From the country-western twangs of “One More Angel In Heaven” to the 1920s-flavored “Potiphar” to the disco beats of “Go, Go, Go Joseph” to the Elvis-ready “Song Of The King (Seven Fat Cows)” to the French chanson oh-là-là of “Those Canaan Days” to the Caribbean flavors of “Benjamin Calypso,” it’s one tuneful showstopper after another, and these are just half-a-dozen of the twenty or so nonstop musical treats Joseph’s got up his many-colored sleeve.

With virtually no “book” in the traditional sense (and I’m guessing very little in the way of stage directions), it’s up to each individual production to find ways to transform Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat from the “concept album” it started out as back in 1968 to the full-fledged big-stage musical it’s become today, and La Mirada has hit the jackpot in bringing on director-choreographer extraordinaire Gerry McIntyre to helm the whole shebang.

McIntyre’s supreme attention to detail means that every single company member (and Joseph’s eleven brothers in particular) is doing individualized dance steps and given their own particular bits of business throughout the show.

And what spectacular dance numbers McIntyre has choreographed, each and every one in a different genre, and since there’s hardly a moment when the entire cast isn’t onstage (except for when costume change requirements take them elsewhere), few musicals are anywhere near as physically demanding as Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

The instantly likable McCarrell displays powerhouse pipes as Joseph (his “Close Every Door” is a particular stunner) and the same can be said for the captivating Kelli Rabke, whose Narrator belts to the rafters as she recounts Joseph’s story in song.

Dino Nicandros’s Reuben gives Nashville legends a run for their country-and-western money in “One More Angel In Heaven,” with Rianny Vasquez hitting operatic high notes along the way.

And in showcase numbers of their own, Vogt’s Potiphar and Ellie Barrett’s Mrs. Potiphar rock the music hall-ready “Potiphar,” Daniel Dawson steals the show as a Pharoah who could easily pass for Elvis in “Song Of The Pharoah,” “Those Canaan Days” transforms Josh Grisetti’s Simeon into a deliciously chain-smoking French chanteur a la Charles Aznavour, and Ceron Jones’s Judah goes Jamaican to infectious effect in “Benjamin Calypso.”

Brothers James Everts (Issachar), Juan Guillen (Dan), Kurt Kemper (Gad), Edgar Lopez (Naphtali), Rorey Michelangelo (Zebulun), Marcus Phillips (Judah), and Brandon Keith Rogers (Asher) provide indefatigable support throughout, with Kemper and Lopez scoring bonus points as Butler and Baker in “Go, Go, Go Joseph” and Michelangelo (paired with dance partner/dance captain Bridget Whitman) delivering a sizzling Apache dance.

Completing the all-around fabulous triple-threat cast are Bernadette Bentley, Johnisa Breault, Jasiana Caraballo, Lauren Decierdo, Andrea Dobbins, Ashley Evangeline, Marie Gutierrez, and Callula Sawyer as Wives Without Names and a delightful Children’s Choir, whose names are too numerous to mention here.

Rented sets and costumes (their designers uncredited) are expertly lit by Jean-Yves Tessier with sound designer Josh Bessom ensuring a crystal-clear mix.

Additional design snaps are shared by Kaitlin Yagen and Madison Medrano for their hair, wig, and makeup, and Kevin Williams for his props.

Last but not least, vocals and the production’s topnotch live orchestra are under the baton of gifted music director Jennifer Lin.

Kim Arnett is assistant choreographer. Casting is by Julia Flores. Anyssa Navarro and Thomas Whitcomb are swings.

John W. Calder is production stage manager and Phil Gold is assistant stage manager. David Elzer is publicist.

With something to please just about any musical taste, there’s no show quite like Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. La Mirada Theatre audiences of any religious persuasion (or none at all) are guaranteed an amazingly Technicolorrific time.

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Boulevard, La Mirada.
www.lamiradatheatre.com

–Steven Stanley
June 3, 2023
Photos: Jason Niedle

Tags: Andrew Lloyd Webber, La Mirada Theatre, Los Angeles Theater Review, McCoy Rigby Entertainment, Tim Rice