A ‘coat’ of many colors at Riverside

Yes, it’s silly, but it’s a fun silly. “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is what you’d expect from a 20-year-old Andrew Lloyd Webber when he and Tim Rice believed the world was their oyster. Originally a 15 minute musical skit, the story of the biblical Joseph and his brothers has had a long, colorful history on its way to becoming one of the most produced and reliably crowd pleasing shows on the community and dinner theatre circuit.

Webber never heard a story that he didn’t think could be improved by non-stop songs, even Bible stories. In the case of “Joseph…” the music creates a crazy quilt of instantly referenced popular western styles. The story is secondary to quick changing, mostly comic routines so drenched in cleverness that only the quality of the performers can keep them afloat.

Fortunately, that is mostly true in Riverside’s production.

Stephen Hayes directs, also plays the patriarch Jacob as well as a sartorially funny Potiphar. He has chosen the frame of a narrator (Mariah Strickland vaguely suggesting a genie from a bottle) who sings to a group of elementary students. These children watch from the sides and occasionally join in. Their voices are sweet, but I don’t review children and didn’t find that their presence actually helped. (Their parents, of course, will disagree.)

Certain strengths are notable. Joshua Smith as Joseph has a strong stage presence as well as the requisite pure voice. He plays with a graceful balance between engagement and detachment, and his solo in “Close Every Door” is outstanding. His eleven brothers never disappoint. The country-western flavored “One More Angel in Heaven” is performed with a kicky piece of cowboy choreography tightly executed. My particular favorite, “Those Canaan Days,” is likewise utterly engaging.

Chris Lamb, every inch a sequined king as Pharoah, pulls off his Elvis send-up complete with physical and vocal nuance. And who doesn’t love a man in a high-piled fruit hat who can sing and dance chiquita banana style? Burke Swanson is a sparkling hoot in the “Benjamin Calypso.”

Not everything gets a pass. Sound levels were uneven, at times breaking up a mic or two, then revving voices to ear-splitting levels. In some songs it was impossible to hear the lyrics over the orchestration. Except for the occasional sliced note, the narrator was on point; but her amplification in the final “Any Dream Will Do” was hard on the ears.

Setting Old Testament stories to music is just good clean fun, but one must be careful. The actual story takes pains to show that Joseph was morally upright even if he did brag too much about his dreams. But the scene with Mrs. Potiphar (Heather Chambers) makes no nice distinctions. It appears that he’s enjoying being behind the screen with her as much as she is. This could be easily fixed — and should be.

Mitch Morehead’s scene design is serviceable as are Pat Lynch’s costumes, both utilizing the simple lines and bright colors of cartoons.

“Joseph…” is feather light entertainment, which makes the shift to a calculated, heart-tugging finale just a bit jarring. No one can explain to me the appeal of the Disney-fied sounding “Any Dream Will Do,” but what can I say? Webber has a knighthood and I don’t.

See it anyway. It’s cute.

Margaret Lawrence is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association. She teaches drama and English at Culpeper County High School.

Want to go?
What: “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”
Where: Riverside Dinner Theatre
Call: (540) 370-4500 or visit http://www.riversidedt.com
Playing through Nov. 22