Go, Joseph, Go

A short while ago I preached a sermon in which I said the reason we go to our kids’ piano recitals and little league games and school plays is to value the participant rather than the event. The events, I postulated, were, by themselves, not riveting enough to draw the attention of the casual passer by. I still believe that is largely true.

But sometimes, in addition to the precious kids you value, the event is worth something in itself. The event is worth a lot.

North Platte High School’s Production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has to be one of the best high school musical productions….ever. It just has to be.

Now I have no field research to back up this claim. All I have is my own feeling of wonderment as I watched these high school kids do their thing on the stage. I can honestly say the only thing I have to compare it to are the professional shows I have seen in venues such as Broadway, San Francisco, Denver, and Omaha.

Seth Fornander played Joseph and if Seth wants a career in music theater he can surely have one. He has the looks (think Josh Groban) and the voice which, while still maturing, is steady and reliable with that “Broadway” tenor intangibility. He sang well, but Seth also acted well. He obviously possesses the stage presence which is compelling even when he is just standing there.

Seth’s performance, without question, inspired those around him to rise perhaps to a level that they may not have achieved otherwise. But this is not to suggest that the other students did not bring their own charisma to the performance. Stephani Benes brought to the dance sequence in “Those Canaan Days” the same expertise Fornander brought to the vocals. And the sons of Jacob (Rick Poppe, Casey Wroot, Tate Schad, Andrew Sodawasser, Steven Teters, Dillon Johnson, Aaron McCauley, Brandon Baxter, Bryan Hill, Ben Montgomery, and Shane Weatherly) had a chemistry in the same scene which no amount of three nights a week rehearsal should be able to master. Sodawasser, as Simeon, managed the lead in that number with enough of an accent to make the ambiance work without being “hammy” and the comedic timing was perfect (at least in the Sunday Matinee about which I am primarily writing).

And while on the subject of accents, Casey Wroot as Reuben brought the right amount of cowboy western to “One More Angel”, again without becoming a greater caricature than he was intending. The overall dance scene was very well executed.

And then there was Craig Cullinan as the Elvis Pharaoh. I am listening now to the London cast recording and I just can’t hear that much of a difference between the artists and the kids regarding this “specialty” solos.

Erin Wright, Brooke Ludemann, and Natalie Poppe were secure and steady as narrators.

In all, the students had solos, ensemble singing, complicated choreography, comedic timing, and they did it all, smoothly, all the time (at least from my perspective).

And what is more---they were having fun. It was obvious that each and every high school participant was really enjoying what he or she was doing. That, no doubt, contributed much to the final result.

The production was directed by Leah Purdy who directed the orchestra while Jill Petersen managed the stage and props.

This production included the optional Joseph Megamix medley at the end of the show which, at first, I was skeptical of. In fact, opening night the audience stood to applaud after the “Close Every Door” reprise and remained standing awkwardly believing the Megamix to be the curtain call until finally, after a few minutes, they sat back down until the real bows began which were again greeted by a standing ovation.

But by Sunday it was clearly a good decision. After Sunday’s performance, I wanted not only the Megamix but a longer run. A much longer run.

When the final curtain fell—after the final bows—I had that same rush of adrenaline and misty eye that always accompanies a great production that I see on

Well…

On Broadway.