Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamCoat

The Space Theatre: THROUGH AUGUST 10

Daniel Traylor (Center) and the cast of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

     PHAMALY’S   new production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is now on view in the Source theater at the Denver Center.

     Opening on a note of pathos in a contemporary institution for the mentally ill director Steve Wilson flies Joseph through his world of dreams to a blissful conclusion.

     Daniel Traylor is an innocent nearly angelic presence as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph. Traylor is fast becoming one of the finest young actors in the community.

     Leonard E. Barrett Jr. unfurls a buttery-voiced version of the Narrator…who in this version might well be the guardian angel of young Joseph.

     The superb choreography by Debbie Stark is peppered with moments of genius such  as the aerial acrobatics performed by Traylor at the end of Act One.

     It is to be noted that this show is so short that one wishes to keep the momentum without an Intermission. However…if there must be one director Steve Wilson’s choice to cut it here is truly well thought out.

    Trenton Schindele is most memorable as the Pharaoh and Potiphar. Jeremy Palmer (Simeon), Lindsay Marie-Giraldi Palmer(Gad) and Mark Dissette(Napthali/Baker) appear in roles that also demand mention. In fact the whole cast is engagingly playful in their various and sundry roles and one wishes to congratulate them all.

      Leslie Wilburn is a fine Benjamin. His true genius lies, however, in his sublime playing of the violin. This 7^th grader who also composes, nearly upstages everyone with the exquisitely played music that ascends from his bow.  Andrew Lloyd Webber look out!

     There are lots of lighthearted moments invoked by funny costumes, goats, camels and the like as well as a thrilling downpour of color in one of the scenes.

     The lighting design is interesting and works well for the most part. The geometric patterns that randomly appear upon the floor of the playing space are well done. Nevertheless …. they become a bit distracting after a while.

     Donna Kolpan Debreceni’s music direction and keyboard playing are dreams all unto themselves. Scott Alan Smith, Larry Ziehl and Austin Hein, the mainstays of Debreceni’s stage band are without equal in the region.

    Previews July 10 and 11 and opens on Saturday, July 12 in the Space Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Complex.  Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 2:00 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. on Monday, July 28. Tickets are $30 - $36 adult, $25 groups of 10 or more, and $20 for July 10 and 11 previews as well as the Friday, July 18 and (Industry Night) Monday, July 28 performances. Post show talk-backs follow the Sunday matinee performances. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased by calling Denver Center Ticketing at 303-893-4100; online at www.phamaly.org; or at the Denver Center Ticket Office, located at the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Groups of ten or more call 303-365-0005.Marlowe's Musings