Razzle-dazzle tradition shines on in Marriott's take on 'Joseph'

By Nina Metz | Special to the Tribune

February 28, 2009

I had forgotten what a good time "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" really is. Created by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber in the same blissed-out haze that gave the world "Jesus Christ Superstar," the show (currently at the Marriott Theater in Lincolnshire) is more than ridiculous, it's nutballs. But a total gas, no?

A biblical tale (hey, devout believers!) with storybook clarity and a groovy sensibility (hey, everybody else!), this musical—excuse me, rock opera—has at its heart a Vegas showgirl, all jazz hands and sequins and a campy spirit that is both family friendly and mildly subversive.

Lloyd Webber has plenty of detractors (I'm not one of them), but the guy knows his way around a melody line.

All of the above are pleasures director-choreographer Marc Robin understands well; his output over the years has gone a long way toward making the Marriott a classy joint for musicals. And the theater's in-the-round setup solves one of the main problems of the Donny Osmond-in-a-loincloth revival from the mid-'90s, which felt a lot like the show was being performed at you.

This production, I think, does a better job of pulling the audience into the show's energy. (A few minor kinks with the sound system still need to be worked out, though.) The cast is zippy—it can sha-la-la Joseph with the best of them—without being freakishly enthusiastic, and each member has individual moments of comedy. Bernie Yvon (once Osmond's understudy) plays the Pharaoh-as-Elvis, and when the guy rolls in on a Segway packed into that orange jumpsuit, you'd swear he's not just spoofing Presley but Alec Baldwin's smug executive on "30 Rock."

The guiding principle in Robin's staging seems to be the more incongruities, the better. I bought it. Costumer Nancy Missimi sticks Joseph in a get-up that can only be described as Jolly Green Giant meets Ziggy Stardust, and the '80s workout gear and dance moves of "Go, Go, Go Joseph" arrive like outtakes from "Staying Alive." Why not? It's all fabulously tacky and upbeat, and in these tense times, it's a welcome distraction I'll take any day.

ctc-live@tribune.com

When: Through May 10

Where: Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive in Lincolnshire

Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Tickets: $45 at 847-634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com