Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Musical (1973)
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Direction and Choreography by Gerry McIntyre
Music Direction by Robert L. Rucinski
North Shore Music Theatre
Beverly, MA
July 8-19, 2026

Scenic Design: Baron E. Pugh; Costume Coordinator: Rebecca Glick; Lighting Design: Jose Santiago

With Olivia Valli (Narrator), Nikita Burshteynr (Joseph), Eric Jordan Young (Jacob, Potiphar), Naomi Kakuk (Mrs. Potiphar), Brent Thiessen (Pharaoh), Henry H. Miller (Butler), Michael Anthony Sylvester (Baker)

Joseph (Nikita Burshteynr) is the golden boy among a whole host of brothers, and his father, Jacob (Eric Jordan Young), gives him a wonderful multicolored coat to reassure everyone that Joseph is a favorite. Joseph is just a bit too self-confident with all of this, which does not go down brilliantly with the brothers and they conspire to throw Joseph in a pit to get rid of him. Joseph is rescued from the pit by a couple of double dealers who sell him off to Potiphar (Eric Jordan Young). Joseph is a handsome lad and lusty Mrs. Potiphar (Naomi Kakuk) takes a shine to him, but Joseph resists her. She gets pissed off at Joseph, tells her husband that Joseph was coming on to her, and Joseph winds up in jail.

In jail, Joseph begins to win friends and influence people with his dream interpretation skills. Two of his fellow prisoners, the Butler (Henry H. Miller) and the Baker (Michael Anthony Sylvester), get the benefit of Joseph’s prophecy, and soon the Pharoah himself gets wind of Joseph’s powers. Before long, Joseph is out of jail and promoted to be Pharaoh’s high minister. And then, wouldn’t you know it, in the middle of a tough period, Joseph’s brothers come running to Pharoah for help. Joseph recognizes them but they don’t recognize him, until, some time later, after running the brothers through a test of character, Joseph reveals himself as their long lost brother. Not only a dream wizard, but a true forgiving mensch, Joseph comes around and mends the broken family bonds.

What a lovely production this is, with terrific choreography, nice singing, good acting all around, and delightful staging and costumes. This old show could, indeed, be a lot worse for wear, but this production is a wonderful revelation of the great benefits of nice new treads on old tires.

The music by Andrew Lloyd Webber is certainly eclectic, with South American sambas, tangos and mambos interlaced with old cowboy tunes. If I’m not mistaken, one of the show’s tunes is such a musical retread of Bob Dylan’s Desolation Row that I’m surprised it didn’t wind up in the courts. Somehow, with derivative music, and tolerable lyrics by Tim Rice, the whole thing works very well.

There are lots of kids in this show, which is actually very nice since the moral tale of forgiveness is such an important one, and the kids do great. They are jazzed and energized and sing and move beautifully. It’s great to groove on their energy and to see them having such a great time.

The ensemble, especially with all of the very good choreography, is notable for its excellent dancing. There are some distinct standouts and they are wonderful to watch, but the whole troupe comes across very well.

As Joseph, Nikita Burshteynr has a sweet and compelling demeanor, both warm and cuddly but also daring and upright enough to paint all sides of the character. Olivia Valli, as the narrator, is in wonderful voice and pulls the whole thing together beautifully. As the Pharoah, Brent Thiessen is hilarious, doing an ancient Elvis turn, bare-chested and side-burned, full of broad and sassy moves.

Costumes coordinated by Rebecca Glick are colorful and varied. Music directed by Robert L. Rucinski is played well, and the general staging and wonderful choreography is very adeptly managed by director Gerry McIntyre. Lighting by Jose Santiago, particularly noticeable on the variegated spinning floor, is highly effective.

At the time it appeared over fifty years ago, this show was unique in its overall conception as a rocked-out biblical tale, following shortly after Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar (1971), despite not being particularly innovative in compositional style. Now, these two rocked-out biblical tales are classics. The eclectic musical style of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat still shines through, and the current production makes the most of it. All in all, this is a wonderful rendition, full of color, energy and verve, and a pleasantly surprising revitalization of this fun, endearing, and sometimes quite moving, chestnut.