Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at HCT

Utah audiences really love the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (so it is performed a lot) but I am not a big fan because I find it very kitschy (or it could be because I have seen it too many times). I went to yet another production last night at Hale Theatre and, even though I didn't love it, the performances are outstanding. It tells the well-known Bible story of how Joseph rises to become the Pharaoh's second-in-command after his brothers betray him for being their father's favorite with songs that span every musical genre. It is de rigueur for every director to add their own touches to the show but much of the staging, including the Ishmaelites riding motorcycles in "Journey to Egypt," the dancers emerging from a psychedelic VW bus in "Go, Go, Go Joseph," and Mrs. Potiphar spinning tunes in a nightclub with a multi-colored dance floor in "Megamix," is recycled from HCT's 2017 production (I actually enjoyed the staging of "Potiphar" and "Song of the King" a lot more in that version). There are some strange choices with the costumes (the brothers all wear athletic socks and shoes, the Egyptians wear white mid-length pleated skirts, and the ensemble wears weird Heaven's Gate-inspired shrouds in "A Pharaoh's Story"), a few of the sets are underwhelming (particularly the one for "Potiphar") and the choreography is a bit chaotic because there are so many performers on stage that sight lines are often blocked (this is especially true in "Song of the King"). However, the brothers (including Rob Naylor as Reuben, Matt Baxter as Simeon, Ben Lowell as Levi, Brock Dalgleish as Naphtali, Addison Welch as Issachar, Brevan Ita as Asher, Matthew Tripp as Dan, Enzo Willis as Zebulon, Prince Ko as Gad, Eli Zemp as Benjamin, and Alec Powell as Judah) do a fantastic job with the energetic choreography and it is very clear that they are having a blast (they are really fun to watch). I really enjoyed Lowell's vocal performance of "One More Angel in Heaven" as well as Welch's rendition of "Those Canaan Days" (this song always makes me laugh) but Powell really blew me away during "Benjamin Calypso." Bailee Morris has a beautiful voice that is very well suited to the role of Narrator but I sometimes found her interactions with the rest of the cast and the audience to be very stilted. She is especially awkward with a group of children (who were presumably selected from the audience) in the Prologue because she is very over-the-top and they did not respond to her (they may need a better vetting process for the children).  Finally, Ethan Kelso, as Joseph, is the reason to see this show because he has both the voice and the charisma required for the role. I loved his renditions of "Any Dream Will Do" and "Close Every Door" (the lighting effects used to create his jail cell are really cool) and his physicality in the scenes with Mrs. Potiphar and the Pharaoh's groupies is a lot of fun. I know that almost everyone will enjoy this more than I did (I think this needs to join Cats and Seussical as shows I never need to see again) so I recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs on the Young Living Centre Stage through October 24.

Note: My attitude about this show could also stem from when I saw the Broadway touring production.  I was so excited to see Donny Osmond as Joseph but, on the night I went, his nephew David (who was the understudy) performed. He was very good but I am still bitter about missing Donny.