A star-studded cast, a week to put together a show, and the 50th Anniversary of one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's beloved shows. The result? The glorious chaos that is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Far from the anniversary production that played the London Palladium last summer, this version of Joseph has descended into sensational disarray. But that's not a bad thing in the slightest. With Jessica Vosk, Eden Espinosa, and Alex Newell all sharing the role of the Narrator, the open would assure any tentative audience member that the show was in good hands. All three of these vocal powerhouse had standout moments throughout the entire evening, coming together to nearly blow the roof off David Geffen Hall by the end of the Megamix.
As for who else may have contributed to the potential collapse of this particular building at Lincoln Center, Noah Galvin took center stage in the title role; exuding energy through the entire show. And as for his on stage brothers, they included the likes Bonnie Milligan, fully committed to her French accent in "Those Canaan Days" right down to the beret; Jay Armstrong Johnson, jumping into splits and using a cowboy like accent during "One More Angel in Heaven" alongside the angelic voice of Tiffany Mann; and Mykal Kilgore, grooving his way through "Benjamin Calypso."
But let us not overlook the near perfection from Chuck Cooper as Jacob (of the "and sons" fame), Gavin Lee as the Butler, Brooks Ashmanskas as the Baker, and Merle Dandridge giving a wonderful blend between Beyoncé and Tina Turner in her performance as the Pharaoh. Also of note, real life married couple Andy Karl and Orfeh as Potiphar and Mrs. Potiphar; the former opting for an imitation of Trump that sent ripples of laughter through the theater.
Everything came together to create an insanely enjoyable evening, ridiculously fun from beginning to end. It was perfectly imperfect, a true celebration of the show Andrew Lloyd Webber has created. There's likely nothing better than being in an audience filled with people who can name all the colors of Joseph's coat, from red to blue and everything in between.