BDT Stage Breaks Out the Technicolor Dreamcoat

BDT Stage in Boulder rounds out their season this summer with the musical hit Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, directed and choreographed by Henry Award Winner Matthew Peters. This well-known story follows Joseph (Jack Barton), a young man sold into slavery by his eleven brothers, who are envious of his coat of many colors.

When Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice sat down to write Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, they must have first created a list of every music genre known to man and checked them off their list one by one as they composed each new scene and song. The musical is packed with a high energy, eclectic array of songs from rock and roll to jazz, country-western, calypso, and classic Broadway-style numbers.

The show includes a dim-witted Egyptian Pharaoh (Scott Severtson), a nod to the sequin-glove-wearing King of Pop, and a Wicked-defying gravity stunt. You’re sure to leave the theater with a smile, singing the lyrics of “Go, Go, Go Joseph” under your breath. (Unless, of course, you’re me, who just might have been signing unabashedly at full belt.)

The secret to the show’s longevity has to be its easy-to-follow story line told by the Narrator (Tracy Warren) through a multitude of catchy, now-iconic tunes and plenty of razzmatazz. Of course, the scantily clad brothers and female Ishmaelites weren’t too hard on the eyes, either. However, the unnecessarily overt and awkwardly-choreographed number between Joseph and Seductress Potiphar was a bit hard to watch — just saying.

In a musical like this one, where the entire story is sung, it’s vital to have good singers. Fortunately, BDT’s version of Joseph does not disappoint. A few stand-out performances include the ever-popular Wayne Kennedy, the talented Scott Beyette, and if the Arvada Center ever does this show again, Burke Walton should Go, Go, Go audition!

BDT Stage is one of the few remaining and highly acclaimed dinner theaters in Colorado, celebrating 40 successful years of live theater. From their well-rounded, palate-pleasing menu and full bar to their very talented (yet peculiarly hidden) live band, the BDT Stage continues to consistently deliver exceptional entertainment year after year and at a great value.

If you can catch the show before it closes on August 19, it’s well worth it. Otherwise, BDT Stage’s next season is one not to miss. It includes Rock of Ages, Annie, Always Patsy Cline, and Disney’s The Little Mermaid.