"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" - by Andrew Lloyd Webber - Theatre at the Mount (Gardner, MA.) - REVIEW
(Cover Photo: Kyle W. Carlson as “Joseph” with the CAST of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT" now playing at Theatre at the Mount in Gardner, MA. through December 7, 2025. Photo Credit: Paige Fowler Photography)
By Kevin T. Baldwin
METRMAG Reviewer
# 774-242-6724
“Then the Ishmaelites galloped off with a slave in tow, off to Egypt where Joseph was not keen to go; it wouldn't be a picnic he could tell..."
- ("The Narrator") / Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice
Theatre at the Mount
Presents Andrew Lloyd Webber's
"JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT"
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Based on The Book of Genesis
Directed by Emily Smith
Music Director Dave Twiss
Choreographer Kim Soel
Producing Director Gail Steele
Cast Includes: Alexa Querin as the “Narrator,” Kyle W. Carlson as “Joseph,” Paul Caouette as “Jacob,” Jon Simmons as “Reuben,” Ken Golner as “Simeon,” Chay Tower-Hughes as “Levi/Guard,” Lou Duquette-Holmes as “Naphtali,” Amanda Poulin as “Issachar,” Jared Shepard as “Asher,” Harry Warren as “Dan/Guard,” Jovan Tremblay as “Zebulon,” Erik McGahan as “Gad,” John Sweeney as “Judah,” Andy Smith as “Benjamin,” Tim Murphy as “Potiphar,” Doug Dame as “Pharaoh,” Elizabeth Carlson as “Mrs. Potiphar/Ensemble,” Lynn Dame as “Ishmaelite/Guard/Ensemble,” Diane Twiss as “Ishmaelite/Guard/Ensemble,” Charles Tower as “Butler/Camel,” Andrew Green as “Baker/Snake/Guard.”
Wives/Ensemble: Alanna Griffin-Bales, Rachel Rossie, Amelia Cormier, Ashley LaBarre, Michelle Heffner, Josie Daisy, Mary Brennan, Gabrielle Clark, Brynn Crossman, Erin Girouard, Rachel Twiss.
Featured Dancers/ Ensemble: Kristen Carpenito, Abby Waterhouse, Jillian Whitney, Colleen Mozinski, Samantha West.
Children’s Chorus: Julianna Baer, Maxwell LaBarre, Toni Rossi, Clara Girouard, Addison L’Ecuyer, Lucas Rourke, Leah Gjika, Everly Richard, Catie Schleyer, Greta Kelley, Cooper Roche, Brynn Schlosser.
Additional Creative Team:
Tech Director/Set Design – David Allen Prescott; Lighting Design – Tim Smith; Costumes – Mimi Allen (Costumes provided by CNY Costumes, Inc.), Gail Steele; Stage Manager – Casey Manseau; Props Mistress – Lisa Smith Adams; Sound Design – Sean Kyle; Box Office Manager – Paul Caouette; Lobby Displays and Printing – Lori Adams and Printshop; Playbill Design – Michelle Carpenter; Running Crew – Kira Taylor, Mia Senneville, Arabella Malo, Cam Bergeron, Bob Allen; Spotlight Operators – Evan Shear, Waylon Letarte; Construction Crew – Cass Martin-Seidel, Elsa Guerra, Mike Dickson, Evan Shear, Sam Gagnon.
Performances:
November 28, 2025 through December 7, 2025
(Contact Box Office for Exact Times)
Mount Wachusett Community College, 44 Green Street, Room 182, Gardner, MA.
TICKETS:
Tickets are available online at mwcc.universitytickets.com or by calling # 978-630-9388.
For additional information contact Professor Gail Steele at 978-630-9162 or g_steele@mwcc.mass.edu
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COVID 19 PROTOCOLS
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Theatre at the Mount (TATM) presents a jovial musical staging of "JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT" for this holiday season and it is, at the very least, quite colorful.
Back when I was an 8th grade student at Walsh Middle School in Framingham, our music teacher (Mr. Russo) played for us this unusual recording entitled "JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT."
The album was a sung-through narration with music by an up-and-coming composer named Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics provided by his partner Tim Rice.
While perhaps recognizable today, this recording cannot compare to with the fully orchestrated cast recordings that have been released since the musical’s stage debut back in the early 1970s.
While I was not yet a “theatre kid” I knew a good theatrical story when I heard one and this 20-minute recording was so good I was hooked.
I actually borrowed the album from my music teacher who let me hold onto it for the entire summer.
Thank you, Mr. Russo.
Now, 100 years or so later (at least according to my kids), I have been blessed to have seen the show many times and, while the caliber of cast performances varies, the dedication to and enthusiasm for the piece never seems to vary - and this latest production by TATM is quite enthusiastic with a dedicated cast.
The musical is a family-friendly retelling of the story of JOSEPH from the Bible's “Book of Genesis.”
While it would be the first collaboration between Lloyd Webber and Rice it would, of course, not be their last.
The duo also collaborated on "Evita" and "Jesus Christ Superstar."
However, among many Webber-Rice fans, "JOSEPH" is still one of if not THE most enjoyable to listen to of their musical collaborations.
The musical had its professional premiere in 1972 then landed on Broadway in 1982, resulting in seven Tony Award nominations including one for Best Musical.
(Cover Photo: "Those Canaan Days” as performed by members of the CAST of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT" now playing at Theatre at the Mount in Gardner, MA. through December 7, 2025. Photo Credit: Paige Fowler Photography)
On a simply glorious set, the Theatre at the Mount musical begins with a chorus of children gathered on stage to hear the story of "JOSEPH" as told by the Narrator (Alexa Querin).
JOSEPH (Kyle W. Carlson) enters and sings to and with the children one of the show’s iconic tunes, "Any Dream Will Do.”
The moment instantly sets the mood for the remainder of the evening as the song elicits a feeling of inspiration and optimism, even though the story of JOSEPH and his unexpected odyssey is filled with adversity and pessimism as it unfolds.
We are introduced to JOSEPH's father Jacob (Paul Caouette) and his 12 sons in the song "Jacob and Sons," and it is apparent from the outset Joe’s brothers have got it in for JOSEPH since he is unquestionably Jacob’s favorite child.
The overall choreography by Kim Soel for the show fluctuates from impressive to faltering, with “Jacob and Sons” landing somewhere in the middle.
While the dedicated “Featured Dancers” ensemble is exemplary, at times their impressive moments on stage are slightly curtailed by some of the "less-than proficient" dancers included (seemingly for the sake of inclusivity) within several musical numbers.
In the song "JOSEPH's Dreams" the Narrator, JOSEPH and the brothers together reveal how JOSEPH might one day be destined to rule over the brothers.
However, the straw that breaks the proverbial camel’s back is when Jacob gives JOSEPH a multicolored coat as a sign of his adoration, sending the resentful brothers into a collective fit of jealous rage and soon they begin plotting against JOSEPH.
As witnessed in the number "Poor, Poor JOSEPH," the brothers first try to kill JOSEPH by throwing him down into a pit but ultimately sell him as a slave to some passing Ishmaelites.
Some of the staging by Theatre at the Mount director Emily Smith seemed to try and expedite much of the plot for the sake of the music without showing more concise blocking for what is supposedly happening on stage in the story.
In the song "One More Angel in Heaven" to obscure their hateful actions from Jacob, the brothers and their wives tell Jacob that his beloved JOSEPH has been killed, showing him JOSEPH's once-colorful/now-destroyed coat as proof.
The choreography here is fun as it fluctuates from despair (while Jacob is on stage) to a celebratory hoedown (when he exits the stage).
(Cover Photo: Kyle W. Carlson as “Joseph” with the CAST of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT" now playing at Theatre at the Mount in Gardner, MA. through December 7, 2025. Photo Credit: Paige Fowler Photography)
Costumes for the TATM production appear to have been approached with great attention to detail, although it also seems costuming for some groups does not rise to the same level as for others.
Standout costumes included the ones for Joseph, the Narrator, Potiphar and the Featured Dance Ensemble.
JOSEPH is taken to Egypt, where he is sold into slavery for the wealthy Potiphar (Tim Murphy). Instead of wallowing in despair, JOSEPH turns the negative into a positive, working hard and ultimately promoted to run the household.
JOSEPH shuns the advances of Mrs. Potiphar (Elizabeth Carlson), but Potiphar sees them together and, in a fit of jealous rage (yes, a lot of that goes on here – maybe it’s a Bible thing or an ALW thing, go figure), Potipher throws JOSEPH in jail.
While Murphy and Elizabeth Carlson are fine in their respective roles, their moments on stage are quite brief and do not allow for much impact overall.
One of the production’s highlights comes as Kyle Carlson as JOSEPH laments his situation in the song "Close Every Door.”
Yet even while incarcerated, JOSEPH again turns a negative into a positive as he interprets the dreams of two of his fellow prisoners, both former servants of the Pharaoh, leading to the technical end of Act One with "Go, Go JOSEPH."
However, as presented by TATM , there is no intermission and, quite honestly, none is required.
As the Narrator continues the storytelling, we learn the Egyptian Pharaoh (Doug Dame) is plagued by weird dreams.
Really, really, weird dreams.
Learning of JOSEPH's ability, Pharoah asks JOSEPH to interpret his weird dreams in the “Elvis-imbued” number "Song of the King" performed to the hilt by the very animated and "Elvis-clad" Dame.
No. Really, REALLY, weird dreams.
(Cover Photo: Doug Dame as “Pharaoh” with the CAST of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT" now playing at Theatre at the Mount in Gardner, MA. through December 7, 2025. Photo Credit: Paige Fowler Photography)
In the show’s funniest musical number, "Those Canaan Days,” we learn how JOSEPH's brothers are now struggling, starving and poor, regretting and feeling punished for dumping their brother into slavery and lying to their father.
The show’s abrupt ending is rather silly, even by Biblical (or ALW) standard, and with the TATM staging feels exceptionally rushed.
There is even a moment on stage when JOSEPH is singing for someone to give him his coat while he has been wearing it for at least ten minutes.
Thankfully, though, the music under the direction of Dave Twiss helps to keep the show’s pacing otherwise steady throughout.
By the time this enthusiastic cast gets to the reprise of “Any Dream Will Do” and the subsequent now-obligatory bows to the JOSEPH “Megamix” the audience becomes totally involved in the fun that is conveyed by the ensemble (they might even forgive the hilarious toupee that Kyle Carlson is forced to wear as JOSEPH).
(Cover Photo: Kyle W. Carlson as “Joseph” with the CAST of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT" now playing at Theatre at the Mount in Gardner, MA. through December 7, 2025. Photo Credit: Paige Fowler Photography)
"JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT" continues at Theatre at the Mount until December 7th, 2025 and while the subject matter may include some extreme examples of sibling rivalry, it is still a lot of musical fun for the entire family.
Coming in 2026, Theatre at the Mount presents the Mel Brooks’ musical comedy “YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN” which runs from February 27th, 2026 through March 8th, 2026.
Tickets are available online at mwcc.universitytickets.com or by calling # 978-630-9388.
For additional information contact Professor Gail Steele at # 978-630-9162 or g_steele@mwcc.mass.edu
BUY TICKETS
Approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE SHOW
In Andrew Lloyd Webber's "JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT" the biblical story of JOSEPH and his coat of many colors comes alive in the musical retelling.
JOSEPH -- the favorite son of Jacob -- is blessed with vivid dreams that foretell the future.
Sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, JOSEPH endures a series of adventures which challenge him to his core.
Soon JOSEPH finds himself belonging to Potiphar, whose wife makes advances toward JOSEPH which ultimately lands him behind bars.
However, news of JOSEPH's ability to interpret dreams sparks the interest of the hilariously Elvis-like Pharaoh.
Soon, JOSEPH is out of jail and well on his way to second-in-command.
Eventually JOSEPH's brothers find themselves unknowingly groveling at the feet of the brother they betrayed.
As they fail to even recognize him, JOSEPH tests their integrity.
A truly timeless Old Testament tale, "JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT" is set to a multitude of musical genres, spanning from country-western and calypso to bubble-gum pop and rock and roll. (STAGEAGENT)
ABOUT THEATRE AT THE MOUNT
Mount Wachusett Community College
444 Green Street
Gardner, MA. 01440
