‘Dreamcoat’ teamwork pays off

By JOANNE DODDS
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN


My dear fellow Puebloans, our talented young people need you! The usually sold out Summer Musical at the Sangre de Cristo Arts & Conference Center has seats available for tonight and the 20th through the 23rd at 7:30 p.m. The show is very good and the kids are great. Go. You will be glad that you did.

While we are on the subject, all of the arts are hurting nationwide. While I have a thing about math and reading skills, the arts are equally important. It is not enough to read the words. True understanding requires imagination, creativity, and exposure to the “Arts”. If our children are to be all that they can be, then participating in and experiencing live performances is essential and it starts with shows like the Summer Musical.

“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is the 51st. Summer Musical. Directors Wayne Genova and Donna Stinchcomb have been doing it for 26 years and their teamwork has paid off.

The large cast, recruited from Pueblo City Schools, did complex dance routines, knew every word to the songs and exuded a sense of fun which is hard to do when you are very young and on stage. Children’s Musical Director Tina Emmerson did a fine job with the wide range of young voices. The set design by John Wilbar and Nic Roberts was as good, if not better, than some of the Broadway Theater League sets. The costumes were at times pretty and at times funny. The program included a plot synopsis, a musical synopsis and all the other features that prepare the audience to enjoy the performance.

And, what a performance it was! At the end of play I overheard a woman say that she was tired when she came in but now she felt great! It was that kind of a show. From the opening notes of the Overture, played by the 17-member orchestra, under the direction of Michael DeLuca, the play was light-hearted.

Mixing Biblical times with the present gave the play a wacky tone that resonated with the cast. “One More Angel in Heaven Hoedown” featured the entire cast, as did most of the play.

Ninety percent of the play was a team effort but there were notable moments such as Torren Friberg and Sierra Reynolds during the hoedown, Carly Torres as Mrs. Potiphar chasing Joseph through a line of the Wives, Nick Radford as Jacob, Andrew Alfonso as the Butler and Dane Anderson as the Pharaoh/Elvis during the “Poor, Poor, Pharaoh” song. The “Cannaan Days” dance by Rebecca Higgs and Austyn Simpson was well done.

The biggest unit of the team were the very talented Brothers! They were Torren Friberg, Nate Adams, Dane Anderson, Joshua Dasher, Tyler Barnes, Andrew Alfonso, Cody Saunders, Austyn Simpson, Josh Smith, Christian Nafziger and Matt Comden. Coming as a close second were the equally talented Wives. They were Sierra Reynolds, Elizabeth Scoggins, Carly Torres, Alexandra Pepin, Kaitlyn Cook, Jerica Khosla, Rebecca Higgs, Shayla Margison, Ashley Minnich, Natalie Stanaway and Marie Kidd.

Saving the best for last, Jenilyn Bartolo and Kimberly Sewell as the Narrators were a wonderful mixture of shepherds of the younger performers, talented on-stage actors and singers of great talent. Both women are now in college pursing careers in music.

Zachary Friberg was Joseph who wore his coat of many colors with skill beyond his years. His singing voice was rich and deep. Every time he was on stage, the audience’s eyes were drawn to him. He was the talented star that held the show together. Bravo!


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