Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - The Paramount

Those Canaan days certainly are colorful, bright, exciting, eccentric and wonderful. The lights, the sounds, the dances and the songs will stick with you for days afterwards and you won't once wonder "why's the song stuck in my head?"

In the struggle to be Dad's favorite, Joseph clearly takes the cake. However, his other eleven brothers are rather resentful of Jacob's love of Joseph. What better way to make way for their betterment in their Father's eyes than to get rid of Joseph? But who can resist the charm of Joseph and his incredible ability to read dreams like books? Certainly not the elite or even Pharaohs.

The most striking aspects of this show are the set, lights and dance numbers. Rick Belzer's lighting adaptation is magical at least. The final was worth the price of admission alone. The colors and impacts of the lights are on par with big concerts and light shows. James Fouchard's set is also rather magical. The sky holding pyramids that fly away to reveal Jacob's home or the Pharaoh's pad while trees and seating arrangements come from the wings almost unnoticed. Arlene Phillips' choreography is worthy of professional dance shows. The moves look so easy for the dancers but impossible for anyone else yet so much fun!

For all the hype about Patrick Cassidy as Joseph, his performance is one of the more lacking performances in the show. His portrayal of Joseph is much too proud and his vocal skills, as impressive as they are, seem too nasal and like they're trying to hard to sound impressive. His performance was good, but definitely couldn't stand up next to most of the rest of the cast. Lisa Christine, standing in for Amy Adams, as the Narrator is very strong, but seems rather timid for the Narrator. It is understandable that she'd be nervous, though. She was, after all, standing in for Amy Adams on opening night. Todd Dubail, in his role of the Pharaoh, rocked and rolled. His voice fit the part wonderfully and his portrayal of this rock-n-roll Pharaoh was the most lively and exciting part of the show.

Altogether, a worthwhile and fun show. Technically amazing and vocally impressive, this show is a great intro to musical theater for anyone who's never seen a musical. Though not the best show I've seen this year and not perfect, it is a fun show and certainly worth the price of admission.