Having kept its dreams alive through hard work and amazing persistence, Downtown Cabaret is rightly celebrating its 25th anniversary at its present location (it began at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield several years before). The festivities get underway with a spectacular production of Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, whose theme is interpreting and believing in dreams.
Frankly, I had seen Joseph, written by Webber and Rice for a group of high school students, so many times, I went with a ho-hum attitude. But this production is so full of verve and excitement, it will knock your socks off, especially in the coda, where for over ten non-stop, pulsating minutes, the entire cast, all in white tees and trousers, sing and dance a reprise of the show a la the Broadway version.
Directed and Choreographed with crisp sizzle, the young energetic cast spins through this contemporized biblical story of Jacob's son, Joseph, and his eleven brothers with a joie de vivre that can only be accomplished by youth and talent. In the all-important role of The Narrator, Kristen Howe is attractive and projects a voice that hits all the notes in a wide range. As Joseph, so loved by his dad that he gives the youth a marvelous coat, and so resented by his brothers that they sell him to a passing caravan of thieves - (let that be a lesson to all parents!)
Joe Paparella, tall with dark curly hair, is engaging and sings well. Todd DuBail, in an ever-humorous invention, is a perfect Pharaoh/Elvis impersonator. (Is that where Steve Martin got his idea for the Elvis in his play, Picasso at the Lapin Agile?) Webber and Rice successfully employ many musical styles, incorporating rock and roll, country-western and calypso, all of which add to the charm of the piece. While all the songs are effective, "Those Canaan Days," performed by Reuben, played with zest by Carlos Ponton and the Brothers, still remains the best number in the show.
J. Branson's scenic design, a series of decorated panels that revolve; Gail Baldoni's costumes, a panoply of tattered rags and vibrant colors, including the famous coat of many hues and Elvis' golden togs, and Hugh Hallinan's sparkling lighting, contribute to a technical delight.
We congratulate Richard Hallinan for 21 years of excellence. He produced this show in 1979 and a landmark production in 1988 of Blood Brothers, before either went to Broadway.
