Accepting Goodness: Joseph and the
Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Stone Soup Theatre Company is back at it, presenting Sir Tim Rice and Baron Andrew Lloyd Webber's biblical musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, at the Performing Arts Center of Carolina Friends School in Durham. With excellent performances, live accompaniment, and direction by Stone Soup's Melissa S. Craib Dombrowski, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is heartfelt, high-energy, and sure to make you smile.

At the core of this show lies goodness. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat tells the biblical story of Joseph, favored by his father Jacob and envied by his 11 brothers. Jealous of his blessings and goodness, Joseph's brothers sell him into slavery; and he ends up in Egypt, serving the Pharaoh. While he's gone, the land of Canaan suffers, until his brothers go to Egypt to beg the new, prosperous leader for aid.

Reid Bowman may be the perfect casting for Joseph. Bowman encapsulates the pure, naive, and at times magnanimous character of Joseph as he goes from being showered with blessings, to locked in a cell, to sitting on the throne of Egypt. They also have a gorgeously smooth baritone voice with excellent command. Bowman's performance is consistently compelling, but Bowman's best number has to be "Close Every Door." On top of letting loose and performing a beautiful number with Sadie Turner (viola) and Elliot Anderson (cello), Bowman makes the audience feel every word of the song.

Ariel Dale similarly owns her role as the peppy Narrator, playing off nearly the entire cast with great chemistry. There are a collection of fantastic voices in the cast, and Dale's power and resonance is no exception. Other standout performances include Coltan Compton as Asher, leading the brothers in their hysterical number "Those Canaan Days." Compton somehow balances his own beautiful low tones with a hilariously stereotypical French impression, beret and all. Ron Lipscomb also shines as Issachar in "Benjamin Calypso," where he reveals an incredible tenor voice and what might have been approaching whistle tones. Last but certainly not least, Chris Kudlick gave a downright side-splitting Elvis-impression as the Pharaoh, in the number "Song of the King."

The standout performances of the cast are certainly impressive, but even more so was the cohesion and chemistry of the entire ensemble. The ensemble blended very well on the big numbers and did a wonderful job of supporting one another throughout the show. Though certainly entertaining, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat can get a little 1980s fever-dream-esque, but the ensemble did an excellent job, keeping it grounded with their performances. Though it was easy to miss in the high-octane musical numbers, there was also some impressive choreography on stage with multiple moving pieces, blending some dance numbers with set and costume changes. Augusta Grant-Wilson and Sydney Sirkin stood out as backup dancers, and Sirkin had a beautiful brief dance with Ben Gibson (Jacob) in "Those Canaan Days."

Another impressive piece of coordination was the live orchestra, led by music director Dr. Joanna Sisk-Purvis. The orchestra and cast were almost perfectly in-sync the entire show, combining the cast's performances with some difficult musical numbers. The show indulges in a type of pop-culture medley; and while it's fun to follow, pulling off each different type of music in rapid succession is not easy, especially in the opening "Overture" of the show. Every now and then, an actor's voice could get overwhelmed by the orchestra; but the blend was generally very good.

The Performing Arts Center at the Carolina Friends School provided a good space to work with, and this production made good use of it. The set had a lot of small, moving pieces that were interrogated very well by set designer John Paul Middlesworth and stage manager Nicky Carrington. The blocking was also set up very well to complement the moving pieces; and coordinating that many cast members, dance numbers, choreography, scene changes, and costume changes, is a feat in its own right. A particularly inspired choice was the walls of Joseph's cell in "Close Every Door," held up by ensemble members, which allowed Reid Bowman to work off the ensemble and cell bars.

A final note for production would be lighting, designed by Ava Bitsas, and costumes, led by designer Lisa Hess. The color palette for lighting enhanced the numbers and included a lot of subtle shifts, including a green tint on the brothers as they referenced being sick or jealous in their numbers. Costume design was also well-coordinated, with some changes happening rapidly in the middle of musical numbers, or added piece-by-piece by ensemble members over the course of a song.

Feeling and doing good makes others feel and do good: the basis of a strong community. This idea is at the heart of Stone Soup's latest production. Whether it's laughing along to French accents and Elvis impersonations, or enjoying being with a community, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat reminds us to keep around those who make us smile.

Baron Andrew Lloyd Webber and Sir Tim Rice's JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 12-14), directed by Melissa S. Craib Dombrowski, with musical director Dr. Joanna Sisk-Purvis, and starring Reid Bowman as Joseph, Ariel Dale as Narrator, Ben Gibson as Jacob/Potiphar, Tisha Quinn as Wife 1/Mrs. Potiphar, Chris Kudlick as Naphtali/Pharaoh, Vaughn Green as Reuben, David McEwen as Simeon, Kevin Flanagan as Levi, Ron Lipscomb as Issachar/"Benjamin Calypso" Soloist, Timi Erinoso as Zebulun/Butler, Juliana Segal as Dan/"One More Angel in Heaven" Soloist, Franklin Cutler as Gad, Coltan Compton as Asher/"Those Canaan Days" Soloist, Josh McEwen as Judah, and Finn Purvis as Benjamin/Angel Voice, plus Pam Guidry-Vollers as Wife 2/Ishmaelite, Treasa McDonald as Wife 3/Featured Dancer, Kate Lamb as Wife 4/Snake Soloist, Sydney Sirkin as Wife 5/Featured Dancer, Jenny Sluzewski as Wife 6/Camel Soloist, Alysse Miller as Wife 7/Baker, Dina-Marie as Wife 8/Ishmaelite, Susan Clarke as Wife 9/Ishmaelite, Augusta Wilson as Wife 10/Featured Dancer, and Nina Heinrich as Wife 11/Featured Dancer, and a Children's Choir that includes Dorothy Gillam, Sophia Gonzalez, David Yaniv Herskowitz, Norah Hiller, Delancey Jones, Isla Martin, and Jackson Miracle-Huie (Stone Soup Theatre Company in the Performing Arts Center of the Carolina Friends School at 4809 Friends School Rd. in Durham). PRESENTER: https://www.stonesouptheatreco.com/, https://www.facebook.com/StoneSoupTheatreCo/, https://www.instagram.com/stonesouptheatreco/, and https://www.tiktok.com/@stonesouptheatre. 2025-26 SEASON: https://www.stonesouptheatreco.com/current-season/. VENUE: https://www.cfsnc.org/, https://www.linkedin.com/school/carolina-friends-school/, https://www.facebook.com/carolinafriends, https://www.instagram.com/carolinafriends, and https://www.youtube.com/@CFSNC. DIRECTIONS: https://www.google.com/maps/. JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (1968 pop oratorio for children, 1972 Edinburgh International Festival, 1973 West End, 1981 Off-Broadway, and 1982 Broadway rock opera): https://www.josephthemusical.com/, http://www.timrice.co.uk/joseph.html, http://www.iobdb.com/Production/2183, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/joseph-and-the-amazing-technicolor-dreamcoat-4942, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Joseph-and-the-Amazing-Technicolor-Dreamcoat, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_and_the_Amazing_Technicolor_Dreamcoat. STUDY GUIDE (Utah Shakespeare Festival): https://www.bard.org/study-guides/joseph-and-the-amazing-technicolor-dreamcoat-study-guide/. BARON ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER (London, England-born composer and playwright): https://www.andrewlloydwebber.com/, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/andrew-lloyd-webber-12073, http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/16989, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0515908/, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Andrew-Lloyd-Webber-Baron-Lloyd-Webber-of-Sydmonton, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lloyd_Webber. SIR TIM RICE (Amersham, England-born lyricist, and playwright): http://www.timrice.co.uk/, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/tim-rice-8890, http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/16990, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005358/, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tim-Rice, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Rice. TICKETS: $32.30 ($27.05 students), plus taxes. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: info@stonesouptheatreco.com. PLEASE DONATE TO: Stone Soup Theatre Company.

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