Posted on: Friday, April 19, 2002

STAGE REVIEW
Musical energy powers 'Joseph'

By Joseph Rozmiarek
Advertiser Drama Critic

"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" is an early hit by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, based on the biblical story of a young man sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, only to become a powerful adviser to the Egyptian pharaoh.

The show has become a commercial staple and a favorite with community theaters and high school groups. It enjoyed a spirited production at Diamond Head Theatre six years ago, and the current revival by Jamarama Productions is something of a reunion for many in that cast.

Given that Jamarama is primarily a children's school for performing arts, dozens of youngsters are worked into the stage picture and some of the production numbers.

Hawai'i audiences love kids on stage, but the keiki connection denies the show, which is fairly bland and wooden, an otherwise sexy edge, in favor of a bubble gum view of the Old Testament.

The strengths in this version come from its lead singers and the novelty numbers, which span a musical range from country-western to calypso to rock.

Mathew Pedersen, founder of Jamarama, reprises his performance in the title role from the Diamond Head production and brings the right blend of sunny, gawky innocence to the character, adding a clear and contemporary pop-musical tone to the vocals.

His best moments come on "Close Every Door," an introspective moody-hopeful piece following Joseph's imprisonment. The number is also the best use of the overly large children's chorus, involving them in a way that underscores the message behind the lyrics.

Shannon Nakano looks good and sounds wonderful as the narrator, weaving in and out of the action, joining in on some of the choreography, and generally melting down the lyrics with honeyed tones and vocal color.

Because Joseph had 11 brothers, this show has a strong men's chorus. Director and choreographer Andrew Sakaguchi has them standing tall and looking good.

Three performers also get good mileage from their featured numbers. John Bryan finds a good country twang for "One More Angel In Heaven"; Dion Donahue milks a weepy French ballad with "Those Canaan Days"; and Juan Carlos Rivas fills "Benjamin Calypso" with bright energy.

Sakaguchi does an Elvis impersonation as the pharaoh, surrounded by a gratuitous tangle of kids on "Song of the King." KHNL's Jodi Leong gets hefted on and off an Egyptian fainting couch as the lascivious Potiphar's Wife, and musical director Kalai Stern gets his turn to overact as the pharaoh's butler.

While "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" seems to be aging prematurely as a stage piece, there's enough fresh energy in this cast to keep it going. Running time, with intermission, is just about two hours.