Marriott Theatre’s “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” with the cast/Photo: Brett Beiner
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The fifty-seven-year-old Opus One of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice is getting an amazing Technicolor facelift for the opening of the fiftieth anniversary season of Marriott Theatre.
Originally a cantata for a British school choir that Lloyd Webber’s younger brother—and later cellist—Julian Lloyd Webber was a part of, “Joseph” has worn many coats over the years. But at its heart, it’s a children’s story of ancient sibling rivalry run amok.
There is no children’s chorus here. That element has been effectively reimagined by director and choreographer Amber Mak to be a paternal story shared in duet by the dynamic duo of Narrator (Kaitlyn Davis) and a single energetic child (Avelyn Lena Choi) who is wound up at bedtime.
Joseph’s journey becomes the child’s journey, the child’s own dream, as it were, emphasized by the Technicolor stars surrounding the stage sky from all sides that extend out across the theater ceiling.
The dream world of Joseph is also a Technicolor world, although initially Joseph is blandly attired before receiving his colorful coat. Devin DeSantis is a refreshingly understated Joseph. For one thing, he is clothed throughout the show. (When the lead became the property of teen idols, Joseph became a belting, scantily-clad sex symbol.) This Joseph is an introspective dreamer. His “Close Every Door to Me” is poignant.
Marriott Theatre’s “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” with the cast/Photo: Brett Beiner
The brothers inclusively include sisters, and the energy and enthusiasm of the ensemble taking various roles is joyful and contagious, although the disco turn the show takes during its climax may not be for everyone.
The role of Pharaoh was conceived as the King—i.e., Elvis—though Lorenzo Rush Jr.’s refreshing take is more in the Little Richard camp.
Because Marriott Resort is also celebrating its fiftieth-anniversary season, the Three Embers Restaurant is debuting an immersive rotating pre-show pop-up experience, with five stations themed to each show with specialty-crafted cocktails and multi-course prix-fixe menus.
“Joseph’s Dream Grill” is set in a Technicolor Egypt of visual screens, lanterns and palm trees.
Among the scrumptious items sampled at the media preview before the show were Joseph’s beef shawarma with roz bel shareya, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and tahini, chicken shish tawook in yogurt, falafel, Pharaoh’s Memphis-style BBQ pizza and wood-fired shrimp creole. This is a welcome and needed change for those seeking quality dining before seeing shows.
“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” playing through March 30 at Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. Showtimes are Wednesdays, 1pm and 7pm; Thursdays, 7pm; Fridays, 7:30pm; Saturdays, 4pm and 8pm; Sundays, 1pm and 5pm. Tickets are $68, available at marriotttheatre.com; “Joseph’s Dream Grill” is available 5pm-9pm. Tuesday through Saturday during the run; reservations via threeembersrestaurant.com.
