Where have you gone, Donny Osmond? "Joseph Nation" longs for the days when your celebrity would sell tickets for another silly tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic (?) romp.
Donny is cashing his ticket elsewhere these days, God bless him, so we are left with the cheap, non-Equity production that wandered into the Orpheum Theatre on Tuesday night. From the manufactured sound of the orchestra to a set design built largely from projections and curtains, this staging has the smell of an accountant pinching the bottom line.
One should never take "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" too seriously. Lloyd Webber was fresh and loaded with pop chord progressions when he and lyricist Tim Rice took their first hack at this material in 1968. The composer has a great ear for music that's both imitative — calypso, country twang, Parisian ballad, Elvis rocker —and melodically original. Rice relied on the natural drama of Joseph's story with an occasional sly wink to the audience. ("Don't give up, Joseph, fight till you drop. We've read the book and you come out on top.")
The musical's beauty is its singability, which makes it a favorite for community and high school theaters who like to give lots of people a chance to shine. Chanhassen Dinner Theatre's success with the show on two occasions in the past decade demonstrates that an eager audience is waiting for the next chance to hum those tunes.
In big rooms recently, "Joseph" has veered more toward Vegas than ancient Egypt. Flashing lights, glitz and stage-show entertainment are all employed to fill out the psychic space.
On those terms, director Andy Blankenbuehler's production finds its sturdiest legs. These days Blankenbuehler is best known as the choreographer for "Hamilton" and his talent for whipping up a dance-happy ensemble covers a multitude of sins. "Joseph" has gotten so acrobatic in many stagings that it's nice to see a director still confident in actual dance to keep the pulse of a show moving.
At the core of this "Joseph," though, are ordinary performers doing merely credible work. JC McCann needed a couple more weeks in the gym before taking that physique into the title role. He sings well enough, knocking out his one great number, "Close Every Door" with requisite power. But he's not charismatic by any stretch. Laura Helm's Narrator requires great effort vocally and Joe Ventricelli's big Elvis number as the Pharoah is kind of a dud.
This "Joseph" needs something more than the low-wattage show Blankenbuehler has been allowed to assemble. It needs something.
Donny? Is it too late?
graydon.royce@startribune.com • 612-673-7299 • Twitter: @graydonroyce
