It’s not a big surprise that a show like Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a big favorite here in Utah. The Biblical elements of course but also the roadshow quality it has make it a great fit for the predominant Mormon culture. Even though I have seen it a lot I was excited to see it at Hale Center Theatre because they always deliver on the spectacle and it’s a spectacle-heavy show. Also it’s a show that is easy to inject personality into, and I was eager to see what the good folks at Hale would come up with.

Now I have seen the production and to be honest I’m confused at what director Jennifer Parker Hohl was going for. It’s fun to watch and the cast is very talented but it lacks a cohesive vision I usually enjoy with this show.

To give some examples one time when I saw Joseph they had a 90s boy band emphasis, another it was Taylor Swift, another was Vegas. Here it seems to be Old West, French, Vegas, reggae, 60s, country, circus acrobatics and then the most bizarre of all anime to finish the night. I’m just not sure what the director is going for with this confusing approach.

That said, the cast is talented with Zack Wilson having the leading man charm you need for the role of Joseph. His “Any Dream Will Do” and “Close Every Door” have the swoony crooner quality the songs require. I’m not sure why they have him and his brothers costumed in athletic socks and sneakers but he is great as Joseph.

The other highlight was “Song of the King,” which is always my favorite song of this show. They have Bryan Matthew Hague single-cast in the role of Pharaoh, and I can see why. He is over-the-top and funny as our Elvis-impersonating king, and I loved it. The only feedback I’d give him is he could enunciate better. I think if someone wasn’t as familiar with the lyrics and the song as I am they might struggle to understand what he is singing about. Still it’s a great sequence and one can’t help but smile watching it.

Another impressive element is the aerialists, coordinated by Ramsi Nia Stoker. I have noticed Hale is using aerialists more in the large stage and it adds that sense of spectacle you expect to get with a production here. These dancers are as talented as anything you’d see in Las Vegas or Disneyland. Honestly if Hale had a night in the style of Cirque du Soleil with just their dancers and acrobats I’d 100% buy a ticket to that performance.

The narrator is played by Adrien Swenson, and I admire how she handled an act 2 pause like a pro. Sometimes her singing felt a little shouty but she did have a big energy to her that is needed to lead this show.

I love the immersive nature of the production and was glad to see them using the video screens at the top of the theater adding more color and immersive qualities to the space (video projection designer Jaron Kent Hermansen.) The last couple shows in this theater didn’t use them very much so I was happy to see that change. Unfortunately they did commit one of my theater-in-the-round pet peeves. Nearly the entirety of Act 2 from “Grovel, Grovel, Grovel” onward Joseph’s back was to me so I couldn’t see him well. It’s very important in this type of theater to keep the actors, especially the leads, moving as much as possible so wherever you are seated you get a good look at the actors and their facial expressions.

Still, Joseph is an energetic, bubbly show that you can take the whole family to and have a good time. It’s also mercifully short which is a nice change of pace in the era of so many bloated shows. It does seem like a bit of a missed opportunity when it could have had a more cohesive vision but if you do see it at Hale you’ll enjoy yourself. It is playing until October 24th on the Centre Stage. Tickets can be purchased here.

Joseph and the amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics and book by Tim Rice. It is bsed on the story of Joseph in Genesis in the Bible. It first debuted in the West End in 1973 and then on Broadway in 1982. They haven’t had many revivals- none since 1993.

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