Every good production deserves an encore. So when you have an eclectic great production present itself before you – like the Montreal English Theatre Award-winning C te Saint-Luc Dramatic Society‘s take on the epic Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical masterpiece Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – you take it to a bigger stage before you turn the page. Going from last year’s charming Harold Greenspon Auditorium setting at Cote Saint-Luc’s Bernard Lang Civic Centre, and now onto Montreal’s spacious and state-of-the-art premiere drama hub the Segal Centre, the Society now has the opportunity to showcase to an even greater gathering of theatergoers both familiar with the bombastic Biblical musical and those about to be treated for the first time to a hyper-energetic and ecstatically ebullient introduction to Joseph, his scheming brothers and that patented, lavish multi-coloured accoutrement that shines brighter than the stars in the sky above.
Almost satirizing itself now as a full-blown rock musical with
assorted sonic genres, pop culture era-appropriate representations, and spot-on
sonic styles enveloping the original, timeless classic numbers penned by Rice
and Webber, an auditory treat of the highest order is in store as you immerse
yourself in navigating the story of Joseph in the land of Canaan being sold
into slavery in Egypt by his seething siblings completely boiled over with
jealousy of their brother’s special nature and the special pedestal he occupies
in the family pecking order.
C te Saint-Luc mayor Mitchell Brownstein, who founded the
aforementioned Dramatic Society,
co-produces again with Councillor Mitch Kujavsky. Back to direct is the
energetic and always passionately driven Anisa Cameron, who puts her trademark
spunky stamp on the powerful pomp and circumstance-laden production.
Sam Boucher shines indisputably bright again in the role of the
resoundingly resilient Joseph. Jeanne Motulsky and Nicole Arrage’s angelic
tonal narration helps us navigate the peaks and valleys in Joseph’s early life,
then subsequent enslavement as he refuses to give up hope that better days lie
ahead. Marc Ducusin delivers and then some as the rock n’ roll Pharaoh, while
Mayor Brownstein’s turn as the nefarious Egyptian tycoon Potiphar will be
inevitably etched in the collective theatergoer memory for some time to come. A
multigenerational cast rounds out the spectacle, and the craftily crisp
four-piece band provides the perfectly melodic and rhythmic swing to get the
audience hand clapping, toe tapping, head bobbing and singing along.
Join Joseph’s journey through sibling rivalry, ominous ownership and riveting rebirth – playing at the Segal Centre Theatre until August 25th. Visit segalcentre.org for more information or call the box office at (514) 739-7944.
