Kids Add Technicolor to 'Dreamcoat'

Reston Community Players this weekend are wrapping up "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," a stirring and colorful production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's fanciful retelling of a Bible story. The CenterStage Theatre of the Reston Community Center was packed at a performance last weekend, so speed might be important in snatching up remaining tickets.

This bubbly musical touches only lightly on the Biblical aspects of the story of Joseph, a young man of Canaan who is his father's favorite son. Joseph is given a multicolored coat, which annoys his 11 sheepskin-wearing siblings, especially as he brags about dreams he believes foretell the future. The jealous brothers sell him into slavery, and he ends up in Egypt. There, his gifts as an oracle are recognized and he becomes a powerful leader. Eventually, the brothers, who have fallen on hard times, are forced to ask the oracle for help, not realizing he is Joseph.

Webber and Rice have crafted a lighthearted and campy show, with Joseph's adventures unfolding entirely through songs. There is a wide range of musical styles, with calypso and country mixed with bubble-gum rock, along with pop and several pure show tunes. Director Lisa Anne Bailey has packed the ensemble with cute kids, more than a dozen usually onstage at a time. They help to create the infectious sense of fun as they bounce through 19 songs/scenes.

The show is held together by a Narrator, Jennifer Lambert. She maintains a strong presence, and her singing is adequate when she remains in the lower registers or in quieter moments. But it becomes metallic with an unpleasantly rapid vibrato when she pumps up the volume and reaches for the high notes. As Joseph, Joshua Redford is mild-mannered. Although his voice is not robust, it is pleasant and blends nicely with the ensemble.

Bailey, also credited with choreography, misses a chance in the jazzy "Joseph's Dreams" to take advantage of the undulating rhythms and let Joseph and his brothers really strut. She gets laughs with the stereotypically silly and exaggerated cowboy movements from the men, particularly Rick Stegman and Mark Lewis, in the faux western lament, "One More Angel in Heaven," and with the sendup of all things French in the tongue-in-cheek "Those Canaan Days."

Tim Griffin does an agreeably bad Elvis impression in a parody of "Don't Be Cruel" called "Song of the King." But there is a missed opportunity with the unadorned treatment of "Close Every Door," a sublime ballad that cries out for special treatment with the kids, sometimes a candlelight procession.

And did we see some "jazz hands" a few times? I know we saw some pony and a little frug, along with some nice tie-dyed shirts, in the '60s sendup "Go, Go, Go Joseph."

Conductor Elisa Rosman leads a tight and versatile band that jumps from one musical style to another flawlessly and overpowers the singers only some of the time. Ken and Patty Crowley's dramatic, evocative lighting considerably brightens up Andre JM Regiec's simple but highly effective scenic design, which artfully suggests exotic locales with a minimum of fuss. The visual palette is aided immeasurably by the highly detailed and imaginative costumes from Judy Whelihan, Marti Sikes and Carole Steele.

Fans of "Joseph" will be happy to note that Webber is planning to produce a reality TV series next year in which contestants will vie for roles in a possible Broadway revival. He promises new songs for the weekly show and unique ways to test the would-be stars.

"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" concludes this weekend, performed by Reston Community Players at the CenterStage Theatre of the Reston Community Center, 2310 Colts Neck Rd. Showtime is 8 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday. For tickets, call 703-476-4500. For information, visithttp://www.restonplayers.org.