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

If you haven’t made it to The Rialto Theatre, 213 E Broadway St, in Morrilton, you need to Go Go Go to see JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, which has one more weekend to go Friday, June 28 through Sunday June 30. Fun for the whole family, this theatre troupe, Directed by K. Shane Boen, will have you smiling through the Biblical tale of Joseph, and even if you aren’t familiar with it, you will love the fun music, beautiful costumes, and amazing storytelling, and these people can sing!  

With Lyrics by Tim Rice and Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, this tale opens with a Narrator (Helen Reece) telling the story of JOSEPH to a children’s chorus (Oliver Ehemann, Danni Logan, Ivy Smith, and Jameson Smith). The kids are taken back to the days when Jacob (Bill Hoyt) bore 12 sons: Gad (AJ Evans), Reuben (Michael Davis), Simeon (Jordan Davis) Benjamin (Wyatt Simpson), Judah (Caleb Purtle), Levi (David Garrett), Naphtali (Michael Boen), Asher (Jesse Burgener), Issachar (Jonathan Wollenberg), Dan (Jackson Flowers), Zebulon (Danajah Penn), and his favorite Joseph (Zontray Kendall). Jacob loved Joseph so much that he gave him an amazing colorful coat to wear. The brothers were so jealous that they sold Joseph as a slave to merchants and then told their father that he was killed.   

Once in Egypt, Joseph becomes Potiphar’s (Jesse Burgener) slave, but Potiphar grows fond of him and treats him special until he catches him with his wife (Stephanie McQueen) and sends Joseph to prison. While in prison, he meets the Butler (Adrionna Houghton) and the Baker (Katelyn Davis), who belong to the Pharaoh (Michael Boen), and tell them what their dreams mean. When the Pharaoh finds out what Joseph can do, he sends for Joseph to interpret his dreams. When he tells the Pharaoh that there will be seven years of bounty and seven years of famine, the Pharaoh appoints Joseph in charge of storing food for the upcoming hard times.  

 How does this story end? Does Joseph ever see his family again? Come find out for yourself..   

First, I want to talk about that beautiful coat and the set. Costume Mistress Lorrie West made a fabulous coat for Joseph and, and I’m in awe of her talent. All of the costumes were vibrant and eye-catching. Also, head set designer and builder David Garrett transformed the stage into a multilevel grandstand that gave the stage more depth and room to play. It was utilized in several scenes and allowed for this large cast to fit easily. I especially loved how it was utilized during the scene with the Pharaoh. 

Speaking of the Pharaoh, Michael Boen, who made his on-stage theatrical debut, cracked me up as The King. If you haven’t seen it yet, I don’t want to give it away, but this scene in particular will have you laughing until you have tears. When you talk about the show, this one will be the one that gets mentioned. 

There is a lot of singing and dancing in this show. Shane Boen (Choreographer) and Patricia Loera (Music Director) chose some fabulous singers for the leads. New to the Rialto stage, Zontray Kendall and Helen Reece blew me away with their singing. Both were so powerful and mesmerizing. Kendall was a perfect Joseph. His dramatization along with his rich voice had you hooked to his every word. He was charismatic and moved well with the rest of the cast. Equally amazing, Reece’s passionate vocals opened the show, and all I thought was ‘Wow! Where did she come from?’ She was soulful and dynamic. I loved them both.  

Bill Holt was another new face at The Rialto. I loved his portrayal of Jacob, the doating father who alienates Joseph from the rest of his brothers. The brothers had a lot of fun group numbers that featured most of them individually at some point. Caleb Purtle led the brothers to pleading for Benjamin’s life. Davis’ Reuben led the group through a country song mourning the loss of Joseph. And I loved it when Jesse Burgener doubled a Potiphar and had Joseph thrown in prison for messing around with his wife.  

However, let’s not disregard the women of the cast. They held their own in this male dominated musical. Stephanie McQueen as Potiphar’s wife was beguiling in her golden headdress. You could tell she was up to no good, and she utilized her ladies in waiting Ashlynn Biggs, Nealy Ehermann, Ashlyn Kuhn, Preslee McCarthy, and Salina Sosa to trap Joseph into her plans. The whole cast brought this wonderful story to life in a way that may have you laughing in church every time this story is mentioned from here on out.  

There are three more chances to see this hilarious musical. For more information about the show and what is next for The Rialto, visit their website at rialtomorrilton.com. 

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