Review: JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT at Urbandale Community Theatre

One of the hardest parts of the last year with Covid was watching theatre after theatre canceling or postponing their summer shows and season. One of those theatres was Urbandale Community Theatre (UCT), who had announced a big summer production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." Thankfully, they were able to postpone the production to this summer. If you've been looking for a production to come back to the theatre with, then this fun and joyous production is just the right shoe for you.

If you aren't familiar with "Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat," it is a musical by two of the theatre industry's most prolific writers, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. It starts with a narrator, or as this show narrators, who set out to inspire a group of young dreamers by telling them the story of a dreamer just like them by the name of Joseph. We meet Joseph when his father gives him a multi-colored coat. His 11 brothers soon become jealous and devise a plan to get rid of their brother. As they enact their plan, they come across a group of travelers and send Joseph off. These travelers take him along with them to Egypt, where while he is serving Potiphar, he is accused incorrectly of sleeping with Potiphar's wife and is thrown in jail. While it may not seem like the story of dreams coming true, act two is where things start to turn around. How does his story end? That you will have to head to Urbandale to see.

I appreciate Urbandale Community Theatre because they genuinely embrace how it takes a community to put a show together. This is evident in the number of people involved in the show. One of the ways they were able to get people involved was in their orchestra of 16 musicians. The orchestra was under the direction of Carl Johnson, which was a special treat for me as he was my orchestra director for a short time while I was in middle school. The orchestra does a fantastic job, and it was thrilling to hear them play at the top of both acts.

As with all stories told on stage, the main storytelling is done by the director Cecilia Allemangene, who made the courageous decision to cast two strong musicians, Heather Tragesser and Annika Andrews, in the singular role of the narrator. This was a great way to allow both actresses to show off their powerful vocals in their most comfortable ranges. The set was mainly screens in the background, with a few pieces brought in and off throughout the show. This left plenty of room for Lorainna Nedved's energetic choreography.

What brings this show together to make for a fun and enjoyable evening are the fantastic performances from the cast. As previously stated, the story is narrated by two performers, Heather Tragesser and Annika Andrews, who vocally bring down the house multiple times throughout the evening. Colby Jones leads the cast in the title role of Joseph. In his UCT debut, Jones commands the stage with charm as soon as he walked out for "Any Dream Will Do." His singing voice has this pure, effortless sound that brings a vulnerability to the character that pays off towards the end of act one during "Close Every Door."

The cast also features some fantastic performances in supporting roles that allow multiple actors to take to the stage with a fun and entertaining moments. These performances featured Nick Flynn as Reuben, Chris Rosenboom as Pharaoh, James Kolnik as Simeon, and Mitchell Nieland as Judah. Each of these men brought comedic takes on each of their respective songs. I appreciated how each of them brought unexpected takes on their songs. It made for an enjoyable evening.

If you are looking to embrace the dreamer in you, or if you are looking to close the door on a year without theatre, then I can't think of a better show to see. From the team backstage to the cast onstage to the live orchestra, this "Joseph" will remind you of the dreamer you can be. So go, go, go, get your tickets to this fun production as it will close all its doors on August 1. To purchase tickets, or to find out more about Urbandale Community Theatre, visit Urbandale Community Theatre | Urbandale Community Theatre (urbandaletheatre.com)

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