The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat kicked off the performing arts part of the series.
The Athens area returned to “those Canaan days” as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat came to town Thursday night.
The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical kicked off the “performing arts” component of the Performing Arts and Concert Series.
Based on the Biblical story, the play follows dreamer Joseph and his 11 brothers, who sell him into slavery because they are jealous of their father’s preference for him and his “coat of many colors.” However, Joseph's fortune takes a turn for the better when he meets the Pharaoh.
Ren Chernich, an undecided freshman, said the Tony-nominated musical is her favorite.
“This is my second time (seeing the show live), but I watch the Donny Osmond movie all the time on YouTube,” she said. “It’s entertaining. … It’s just colorful and smart.”
Chernich added that the Narrator, played by Laura Helm, was her favorite.
Diana Bennett, a 2013 alumna, said Joseph’s, played by JC McCann, performance stood out to her most.
“His voice is just incredible,” she said. “ ‘Close Every Door’ of the first act, I think, is my favorite.”
The love was reciprocated backstage as Joe Ventricelli, who plays Pharaoh, said the Athens audience was “great.”
“(They were) so full of energy and along with the ride with us, which is all you could ask for,” Ventricelli said.
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While on the bus in between tour stops, Ventricelli said he likes to research the hosting town but wasn’t expecting Athens to make such an impact.
“It’s gorgeous,” he exclaimed. “It was so unexpected, which is the best part of the whole thing.”
The show sold 1,091 of the approximately 1,900 seats available, according to Andrew Holzaepfel, senior associate director of the Campus Involvement Center. However, the number sold wasn’t that far from Holzaepfel’s target number of about 1,150.
He previously expressed concern that Homecoming festivities, such as the Yell Like Hell Pep Rally, would cause competition between events.
But those who came bobbed their heads and tapped their toes to the catchy, fast-paced first act finale “Go, Go, Go Joseph” and several other numbers. The show even halted for a moment as the crowd entertained Peter Surace, who plays Simeon, as he broke the fourth wall for more applause during his "Those Canaan Days" number in the second act.
To conclude the show, the cast performed a “megamix” in which they revisited many of the songs presented earlier in the evening.
“I think it’s just a wild, extra ride we throw at the audience at the end,” Ventricelli said. “It sort of turns the show into a rock concert a little bit. You know, if there wasn’t enough energy, we just added a little bit more. It’s just so fun — so much is happening.”
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