Review Roundup: JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT at Drury Lane Theatre

Drury Lane Theatre concludes its 2017-2018 season with the irresistible Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. This production is directed by Alan Souza with choreography by Grady M. Bowman. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat runs January 19, 2018 - March 25, 2018 at Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace.

The meteoric first collaboration of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat, finishes Drury Lane Theatre's 2017/2018 season with a bang. Follow dreamer Joseph's tumultuous ascent to the top in this timeless tale of courage, destiny, and hope. Audiences will enjoy this delightful musical parable featuring catchy hits like "Go, Go, Go Joseph," "Jacob and Sons," "Close Every Door," and "Any Dream Will Do." Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat is directed by Alan Souza, who also reimagined the classic story of King Arthur for Drury Lane's critically-acclaimed Camelot in 2014.

The cast of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat includes: Christina Bianco (Narrator), Evan Alexander Smith (Joseph), featuring Colte Julian (Jacob/Potiphar/Pharaoh), with E. Clayton Cornelious (Judah), Nick Cosgrove (Levi), Paul-Jordan Jansen (Rueben), and Darcy Jo Wood (standby for the Narrator). The cast also includes: Anthony Avino, Nathaniel Braga, Tony Carter, Lexis Danca, Jed Feder, Nathan Fister, Alejandro Fonseca, Brad Giovanine, Rachel Hafell, Julia Klavans, Kevin Nietzel, Nich O'Neil, Lindsay Loretta Prerost, Cara Salerno, James Monroe Števko, and Anthony Sullivan Jr.

In addition to Director Alan Souza and Choreographer Grady McLeod Bowman, the creative team includes: Alan Bukowiecki (Music Director and Co-Music Arranger), Kevin Depinet (Scenic Designer), Ryan Park (Costume Designer), Lee Fiskness (Lighting Designer), Ray Nardelli (Sound Designer), Kevan Loney (Projection Designer), and Claire Moores (Wig and Hair Designer). The Production Stage Manager is Larry Baker.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat is recommended for ages 13+. Please be advised that children under the age of 6 are not admitted to our Main Stage Productions, as a courtesy to all of our patrons.

Photo Credit: Brett Beiner

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Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun Times: But if you arrive with that knowledge, you will instantly sense just how ingenious and hilarious the concept brought to the musical by director Alan Souza, musical director Alan Bukowiecki and choreographer Grady McLeod Bowman really is. And while you might very well retitle the production "Joseph: The Remix," you will leave the theater smiling.

Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune: "Joseph" is a piece of proven entertainment value with great melodies, some life lessons and its own kind of charm. Souza and his crew send it up all night long, as if they were doing a "Forbidden Broadway"-style parody. Witlessly. They constantly mess with tempos and orchestrations, just so the numbers can better fit some celebrity impression of their own imposition ("Poor, poor, Joseph, what you gonna do/ o-o-o," a la Ms. Spears). So heavy is the sophomoric conceptual interference that the story actually becomes difficult to follow. "Joseph." Ponder that.

Lisa Friedman Meyer, Chicago Daily Herald: At times, Souza's version seems to reflect a disdain for the material, soaking a sweet story in Sin City spectacle. It's fun in parts, but it's definitely not the "Joseph" fans have come to love. So if you're expecting a show akin to the long-running '90s production starring Donny Osmond at the Chicago Theatre or one of the more recent suburban revivals, think again.

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