On Friday, May 2nd, a cast of talented Montrosians took the stage for the opening night of the Montrose Players’ production of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, highly anticipated by the cast and audience members alike.
The first act began with the an exciting opening, “Any Dream Will Do” in which the audience was introduced to Eilis Quinn ’14 as Joseph and Maddie Crump ’15 as the Narrator. Then, in “Jacob and Sons/Joseph’s Coat” the narrator introduced Kate Wahle ’16 as Jacob, and Maggie James ’14, Molly Cahill ’16, Nora Sullivan ’16, Catherine Schickel ’14, Dina Roche ‘14, Katie Fair ‘14, Ally O’Connell ‘16, Rachel Solomon ‘16, Megan Bellavance ‘16, Victoria Driscoll ‘19, and Abby McAvoy ‘19 as Joseph’s eleven brothers, who resent Joseph, their father’s favorite son. Jacob then gives Joseph a coat made of all the colors of the rainbow.
Joseph’ brothers are angry that their father has treated Joseph specially, and Joseph angers them further by telling them about his dreams which he interprets to mean that he will be more powerful than they. Joseph’s brothers tell this story in “Joseph’s Dreams.” They grab Joseph and decide to sell him as a slave, then tell his father he died. Molly Cahill and Nora Sullivan, as Levi and Simeon, tell Jacob about Joseph’s “death” in the hilarious country number “One More Angel In Heaven.” “‘One More Angel in Heaven’ was my favorite,” says Charlotte Stoddard ‘19.
Meanwhile, Joseph is a slave in the house of Potiphar, an Egyptian millionaire, played by Kate Wahle ‘16. Potiphar’s wife, played by Isabelle Paredes, takes an interest in the handsome Joseph and, despite his protests, corners him. Potiphar, however, blames Joseph and sends him to jail. Eilis Quinn delivers a fabulous rendition of “Close Every Door,” bringing an exuberant round of applause from the audience. Afterward, Joseph meets two men in jail who have had strange dreams. He uses his gift for interpreting dreams to help them. The company then arrives to cheer up Joseph in ‘Go Go Go Joseph,” a spectacular Act I finale.
When Act II begins, Pharaoh, an Elvis-Inspired character played by Catherine Melley ‘16, is experiencing strange dreams. It just so happens that one of the men Joseph helped in jail is working for Pharaoh and brings Joseph to interpret his dreams. Joseph tells Pharaoh that there will be seven years of plentiful harvests, followed by seven years of drought in the 50’s-inspired number “Stone the Crows,” reminiscent of peanut butter and banana sandwiches. The Pharaoh honors Joseph as specially chosen by the gods, and he appoints Joseph to oversee the storehouses to stockpile grain during the good years of harvest to prepare for the anticipated drought.
Because of Joseph’s foresight, only Egypt prepares for the drought, and peoples from throughout the Fertile Crescent travel to Egypt to buy grain in hopes of survival. Jacob also sends many of his sons to Egypt to request grain. Maggie James as Reuben reminisces about the days when they had enough to eat in a French number, complete with berets and accents, “Those Canaan Days.” “The French accents were the best!” comments Cailey Noonan ‘19.
When Joseph’s brothers arrive in Egypt, they bow down to Joseph, having no idea he is their long-lost brother. Joseph agrees to give them food, but secretly plants a silver cup in the bag he gave to Benjamin, played by Victoria Driscoll ‘19. When Joseph tries to imprison Benjamin for stealing, his two brothers, Napthali and Isaachar, played by Catherine Schickel ‘14 and Dina Roche ‘14, defend him in the wild Jamaican number “Benjamin Calypso.” Joseph reveals his true identity and is reunited happily with his brothers and father. The spectacular ensemble comes together one last time for a finale that to which no audience member can resist clapping.
This year’s Montrose All-School Musical was a delight to watch. The music was expertly directed by Mrs. Demirjian, and the direction by Mrs. Sullivan brought the audience to their feet at the end of each show. Joseph was a spectacular and wildly entertaining production that is sure to get five-star reviews from all!