the Eagle
Fort Salem Shines With The Amazing
Technicolors Of Joseph And His Coat
By Elizabeth Dillard
–
“Be prepared to laugh, clap and
be surprised at how quickly this light-hearted tale of sibling rivalry
moves along”
Now I know the story is about Joseph,
and his ability to interpret dreams and his triumph over adversity. I
know his band of eleven brothers are just a part of the story, and are
really supposed to be “the bad guys”, but at Fort Salem Theatre, in
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, they steal the show –
and you can’t help liking them as they do it.
If you venture over to Salem to see this
Andrew Lloyd Webber production, be prepared to laugh, clap and be
surprised at how quickly this light-hearted tale of sibling rivalry
moves along. You may also be surprised at the musical diversity
contained in the play as well – from country-western to Parisian café to
go-go dancing – as it tells the tale of Joseph, his father’s favorite,
who has a gentle soul, the ability to understand dreams and the uncanny
knack of getting into trouble.
Narrator Heather Mayes shines,
demonstrating once again that Fort Salem Theatre really has the ability
to attract some impressive talent to its annual season of summer stock.
Stephen Lydic (Joseph) also gives a strong performance and the chorus of
local children are quite fun to watch.
However, without the brothers, and their
silly antics and folksy dancing, the play would simply not be nearly as
entertaining. Outstanding among the collection of young men is Jonathan
J. Mills (Reuben) who puts on a splendid French accent for “Those Canaan
Days”, Michael Cassara (Naphthali) who leads the Calypso number and
Aaron White (Levi) who tells the tale of Joseph’s “demise” with a twang
and some boot-scooting.
Scott Matthew Harris, who takes on three
roles in this production (brother Zebulun, Potiphar and the Pharaoh) has
great presence on stage and does a good Elvis impersonation. He was,
however, a little difficult to understand, as were some of the first act
songs when the accompaniment was a bit too loud in relation to the
actors’ microphones.
I did miss the live band I’ve come to
expect at Fort Salem musicals, but when you see this play you realize
the musical styles are so varied it would have been a challenge to have
kept up. Also, I should note, there are no spoken words in this show –
music from start to finish – which is another reason it moves along so
quickly.
The play is fun, it’s interesting, it
moves quickly and it entertains – everything you should expect from a
couple of hours of summertime diversion!
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat continues at Fort Salem for two more weekends, with shows
on July 17 – 21 and 24 – 27. Curtain is 8 pm each night. There is a 2 pm
matinee each Thursday and the Sunday performance is at 3 pm. For
Tickets, call 518-854-9200.
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