the mommy avenger

I have a confession: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is one of my favorite musicals, and because of that, I hold it to a ridiculously high standard. It’s one of those shows I’ve seen enough times, in enough different productions, that I walk in already comparing. The music is so joyful and so familiar that a lackluster Joseph or a flat Narrator can really take the shine off the whole thing for me. So when I was invited to see it performed locally at Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy, I felt like I had to give it a chance, but I’ll admit I walked in a little guarded.

I did not need to be. This was, without question, my favorite production I have ever had the opportunity to see at Hale.

If you don’t know the story, here’s the setup: Joseph is the favorite son of Jacob, gifted a coat of many colors that makes his brothers absolutely green with jealousy. That jealousy leads them to sell him into slavery in Egypt, and what follows is a wild ride through prison, prophetic dreams, famine, forgiveness, and eventually a reunion that will get you right in the heart. It’s the story from Genesis, but Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice dressed it up in calypso, country, rock and roll, and a French ballad, of all things, and somehow it all works together. It started as a fifteen-minute piece written for a prep school back in 1968, and it grew into the full, joyful spectacle that has been entertaining audiences ever since. Their success with this show helped launch both of their careers, and once you see it done well, it’s not hard to understand why.

And this production did it well. The caliber of talent on that stage and the sheer effort put into every single number was evident from the opening moments. Hale has a way of using its theater-in-the-round format to pull you right into the middle of the action, and with a show this colorful and this energetic, that closeness makes all the difference. You are not watching Egypt from a distance, you are sitting right in it.

I have to talk about Ethan Kelso, who played Joseph the night we attended. He was incredible. His voice was strong from the very first note and never let up, carrying a role that demands a lot vocally, from tender and vulnerable moments all the way up to full belted joy, and he made it look effortless. A production like this lives or dies on its Joseph, and he carried it beautifully.

Musically, this show is an absolute gift. There is a song for every mood, whether you love a good ballad, a toe-tapping calypso number, or an all-out ensemble showstopper. “Any Dream Will Do” is the kind of melody that will lodge itself in your head for weeks, and “Go, Go, Go Joseph” will have you fighting the urge to dance in your seat. That’s really what makes this show such a contagious experience. You leave humming, and you keep humming for days.

I think this is such a wonderful choice whether you are brand new to theater or you’re someone who goes all the time. If you’ve never seen a musical before, the story is easy to follow, the humor is genuinely funny, and the music is upbeat and accessible in a way that pulls you in even if you’ve never set foot in a theater before. And if you’re a seasoned theatergoer like me, someone who has seen this show many times and holds it to a high bar, this production has the polish, the talent, and the heart to genuinely impress you.

I highly recommend this production, and I hope to catch it again before it closes. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is playing at Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy through October 24th, and it is absolutely worth building your schedule around. Go see it, and get ready to have those songs stuck in your head for weeks to come.

^{*we were invited to facilitate a feature, all opinions are our own*}