Travis Vocino Experiments in Art, Science & Technology.

I have just returned from seeing Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with Broadway star Patrick Cassidy, as Joseph, and American Idol’s Amy Adams, as the Narrator.

The program describes it as a “rainbow ride” through biblical Egypt on the wings of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s (Cats, Phantom of the Opera, Evita) uplifting music and the humor and poetry of lyricist Tim Rice (Oscar-winning lyricist of Disney’s Aladdin).

Beginning its life in 1967 as a 20-minute “pop cantata” for a school Easter concert, “Joseph” was revived and expanded in the mid-’70s and eventually made its way to Broadway in 1982. This lively interpretation of the biblical story of Joseph of Canaan has gone on to charm audiences around the world with its excitement, energy, and eclectic musical variety.

“This irresistible musical about the trials and triumphs of Joseph, Israel’s favorite son, paints a picture of betrayal and hardship, prophecy and forgiveness. Patrick Cassidy fresh from his Broadway appearance in 42nd Street has had a career that spans the world of stage, film and television. With audiences over 30 million people the hit show American Idol has created a new breed of superstar in Amy Adams. This Joseph cannot be missed.”

Cannot be missed, indeed… not with that Dreamcoat, for sure. I’ve never seen the older versions nor have I seen it on TV (I believe PBS did a special on it), so I’m not sure if anything was updated for the current era. However, it did seem pretty hip and now but that could just be its timeless nature.

At times there was so much going on that it was difficult to choose a place to direct your attention to on stage at any one particular moment. I felt like I was missing something every now and then. The colors and effects were stellar with little to no downtime for set changes. This made it fast-paced which is much to my liking — the various scenes moved seamlessly along as the production flowed.

Another interesting development was that Amy Adams of American Idol (can’t remember which season though) was the Narrator. For some reason I got a little more into it knowing she was going to be there. Joking aside, she was excellent. Her voice is actually incredible in person and she brought a lot to the overall production. Plus she still had red hair highlights.

If Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat comes to your city, you might just surprise yourself if you go see it.