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July 23, 2010
Talented performers in TUTS
Both productions are great, but Joseph is a cut above.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY
Traditionalists will be skeptical the minute they see the set design for Theatre Under the Stars’ production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. No desert scene, but rather a run-down theatre. Then the cast comes on, young kids in late-1960s clothing who encounter some hippy teens. How possibly are they going to tell the Joseph story? The answer: with much imagination and energy, and lots of color and acrobatics.
Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, the music of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was guaranteed to be top-notch, but director Shel Piercy and his team innovatively mix the biblical story with a tongue-in-cheek nostalgic look at the social justice ideals of the 1960s and ’70s, most of which have yet to be achieved.
The basic Joseph tale is that young, handsome and proud Joseph is Father Jacob’s favorite son, a preference tangibly displayed by a coat of many colors given by Jacob to Joseph, which, along with Joseph’s dreams of grandeur, alienate Joseph’s 11 brothers. The siblings plot to get rid of their brother and end up selling him into slavery, telling their father that Joseph was killed by a wild beast. Joseph is alive, however, and, though he must endure much hardship, including prison, his dream-interpreting skills eventually land him a high-level job with Pharaoh. When the famine becomes unbearable, the 11 brothers are sent by their father from Canaan to Egypt to appeal for help. They have no idea that the man to whom they must make their appeal is the brother they left for dead.
The TUTS cast, led by the incredibly talented 17-year-old Erik Ioannidis as Joseph, doesn’t have a weak voice or dancer in the bunch. Casting a young girl with a very fake white beard as Father Jacob, interpreting the character of Potiphar (an officer in Pharaoh’s guard) as a high-end fashion designer with slave-like working conditions for his seamstresses, throwing in countless references to the 1960s, etc., etc., make this show interesting and fun for both adults and kids – not to mention that each performance a child from the audience is chosen to play Benjamin, Joseph’s youngest brother.
Much more serious and adult-oriented is TUTS’s production of Singin’ in the Rain, which plays on alternate nights with Joseph this summer. Perhaps for copyright reasons, Piercy pretty much recreates the 1952 MGM comedy musical of the same name. Written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green with songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed, Singin’ in the Rain tells the story of Hollywood’s shift from silent films to “talkies” in the 1920s. In this instance, fictional stars Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont have been making blockbusters, but Lamont’s abrasive N.Y. accent and limited intelligence don’t bode well for a talkie career. When a plain-looking but vocally talented (and smart) aspiring actress, Kathy Selden, literally bumps into Lockwood, who’s impressed by this woman who (at least initially) rejects his charms, Lamont’s dreams of marrying her co-star are also headed for the dumpster, unless her devious plan works.
Lamont, played by Cailin Stadnyk – who won a Jesse nomination for her portrayal of the character in an Arts Club production of the musical – is perfect for this role; she doesn’t overplay it, and her comedic timing is down pat. Lauren Bowler as Selden is also a joy to watch and hear sing, with her rich renditions of “You Are My Lucky Star” and “Would You.”
The male lead is less well cast, with Lindsay Sterk doing a fine job, but lacking the charisma of a Hollywood heartthrob. It’s not just that he doesn’t look the part, he doesn’t play the part with intensity or make it his own, as Ioannidis does with the role of Joseph. Neil Minor as Cosmo Brown, Lockwood’s sidekick, is a fantastic singer and dancer, but the humor of his character doesn’t survive the test of time, and it is in such numbers as “Make ’Em Laugh” that one wishes that Piercy would have exercised some of his obvious creative talent.
The choreographers of both productions deserve a special call out, Keri Minty for such amusing and acrobatic dance numbers as that for the song “Those Canaan Days” in Joseph, and Shelley Stewart Hunt for the ensemble reprise of “Singin’ in the Rain,” complete with rain slickers, umbrellas and rain, which opens the second act. The costumes in both productions, designed by Chris Sinosich, are incredibly colorful and evocative of the musicals’ respective eras. And Tim Matheson does a good job in both shows, incorporating black-and-white video of what’s happening on stage with old film clips, though they’re not always easy to see behind the cast or in the evening light.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat alternates with Singin’ in the Rain at the Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park – where it can get quite cold by nighttime, so bring extra clothes and blankets – until Aug. 21. Shows start at 8 p.m., except for fireworks nights (July 24, 28 and 31), when shows start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $19 to $44 ($17 to $42 for children five to 15) and available for purchase in person at the box office after 2 p.m. on each performance day, at tuts.ca or by calling 1-877-840-0457.
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