Review: Warner's 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'

Torrington, CT - The Warner Stage Company is closing its 2018-2019 season with a magical production of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, which I will refer to as JOSEPH for brevity’s sake in future references.

JOSEPH has lyrics by Tim Rice and a rainbow of music styles composed by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, and I have lost count of how many times I have seen it. The Warner has chosen to bring this much-loved musical back onto its stage during its 50th Anniversary Year, and I can proudly write that I had the pleasure of reviewing the 2013 Warner production with Moses Beckett as Joseph, Alyssa Fontana Bunnel as the Narrator and (the same!) Musical Director Dan Porri. The narrator (sung magnificently this year by the rich voice of Kathleen Cummings) tells the colorful biblical story of Joseph and his eleven brothers, their wives, his father, the Pharaoh, and the rainbow coat.

Mrs. Porri, Meredith, both directed and choreographed the current production on the Warner Stage, and is thrilled to do so with the support of her devoted and musical husband Dan. She has done a fabulous job in her directorial debut at the mainstage of the Warner, paying attention to all of the details. She writes that JOSEPH was one of the first musicals she ever performed in and the music has stuck with her ever since. The musical truly comes to life in “exquisite Technicolor” with her loving touch, as well as the baton of her talented husband. Mrs. Porri is an English teacher at Lewis S. Mills HS, where she also founded the Region 10 Players comprised of students from kindergarten through grade 12.

“For I have been promised
A land of my own…” - “Close Every Door” performed with candlelight

And then there is Noel Roberge (NEWSIES, ONCE, TOMMY, ROCK OF AGES, ASSASSINS) leading the cast in the role of Joseph in his tenth WSC appearance. This actor can do it all and he does just that throughout the two acts. Noel’s father Christopher Roberge played his onstage father Jacob in his Warner Theatre debut, making their scenes together all the more touching. The elder Mr. Roberge returned to play Potiphar with Caitlin Beaudry as the lovely Mrs. Potiphar. Ms. Cummings (NEWSIES) looked familiar to me because she played the Narrator in JOSEPH at Musicals at Richter; she is a graduate of Newtown HS and holds three degrees from UConn.

“Grovel, grovel, cringe, bow, stoop, fall
Worship, worship, beg, kneel, sponge, crawl” - “The Brothers Come to Egypt”

The brothers...oh my God! It was great to see, shall we say, adult men play the older brothers. Hal Chernoff (ONCE) was the brother Reuben, Joe Guttadauro (GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE, THE LITTLE MERMAID) played Levi, Lou Oporto (NEWSIES, MAMMA MIA!) was Iassachar, Tony Leone (THE FULL MONTY, ROCK OF AGES) was Asher, Austin Tewksbury (ANNIE) was Dan, Ryan Frechette (JCS at the Warner) played Zebulun, Robbie James (NEWSIES) was Gad, Ruben Soto (SPRING AWAKENING, ROCK OF AGES) played Judah and got to lead “Benjamin Calypso,” and Dylan Zawisza (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, PETER PAN) was the young Benjamin, who is straighter than the tall palm tree.

Frank Beaudry was made me smile throughout his performance as Napthali, but he was at his comic best for “One More Angel in Heaven/Hoedown.” Fifth grade teacher Brett Basaillon (MAMMA MIA) returned to the land of Egypt to reprise his role of Simeon. Of his previous performance I wrote “ Mr. Basaillon sang the lead in the French-tinted "Those Canaan Days" to the hilt” and, yeah, he did!

Mr. Leone quick-changed so that he could also play the Elvis-inspired role of Pharaoh as only he can, in his first show with his wife Katie. Shout outs to Mr. Guttadauro as the butler and Mr. Tewksbury as the baker. The graceful dancer Kelsey Morris was a featured Apache dancer. I found the inspired choreography added so much throughout both of the acts and the dancers performed it with such enthusiasm.

The female ensemble that played the wives and much more included Kaitlyn Anthony (THE FULL MONTY,) Trecia Austin (who played Dorothy in OZ in 1990,) Lynn Beard (LIBERTY THE MUSICAL,) Caitlin Beaudry (the choreographer of NEWSIES and DISASTER!,) Weston HS senior Momo Burns-Min, Grace Consoni (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST,) Emily Flynn (FOOLS at Phoenix Stage,) Katie Leone (THE WHO’S TOMMY) in her third JOSEPH but the first alongside her father, brother and husband, Kelsey Morris (FOLLIES, RAGTIME) and Reyna Santiago and Lilliana McGrath. Look for Ms. McGrath, who will be attending NVCC in the fall, as Extraordinary Girl in AMERICAN IDIOT with Landmark Teen Theatre in August.

The pit singers that I would have loved to join were Kathleen Lundgren, Taryn McCloud and Katie Tweksbury. The children in the Dream Choir were dressed in t-shirts in a literal rainbow of colors, seated on bleachers at the side of the stage throughout and sounded wonderful when they sang. The young singers also got to be a part of a few of the production numbers.

The Ishmaelites/Ensemble members were played by high school senior Riley Delaney (MAMMA MIA!, NEWSIES) and Litchfield HS senior Ethan Hannon in his WCS debut.

The orchestra in the pit was full and made the wide variety of musical styles sound amazing, not to mention the singers. Dan Ringuette and John Dressel covered the keyboards, with Meric Martin on bass and Scott Kellogg on drums. The set designed by Stephen C. Houk may have reused at least one element from the 2013 JOSEPH, but it looked great and worked well for the large cast. I enjoyed the background projections on the big screen that brought us to the desert. Sophie Pettit and Renee C. Purdy designed the magnificent costumes and Leslie Nielson Bowman gets the credit for the millinery.

I truly never stopped smiling during this production and cheered throughout. Mrs. Porri invited the audience to sing and dance along “if you know it.” I had to pass on the dancing but I had a ball singing the familiar lyrics because no one was seated anywhere near me, especially during the all-white “The Joseph Megamix” for the bows.

Enjoy JOSEPH at one of the performances coming up next weekend before it closes on Aug. 4, 2019. It is a great family show that leaves the audience feeling uplifted in so many ways. I am still singing the songs that have become stuck in my head.

Nancy Sasso Janis, writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, posts well over 100 reviews each year. In 2016, her membership in the Connecticut Critics Circle began and her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted not only in the Naugatuck Patch but also on the Patch sites closest to the venue. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theatre Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the NEW CCC Facebook page.

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