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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p><FONT face=Calibri size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><o:p></o:p><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt">Joseph’s Amazing Misconception: Too much concept kills Joseph</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=Calibri size=3>A director’s concept, their vision and implementation of that vision, can either lead to an innovative and truly exciting piece of theater or an offensive or meaningless production.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Meaningless is the operative word here, with yet again, another Cleveland production of<B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"> Joseph</I></B>, presented by Mercury Summer Stock.</FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT size=3><FONT face=Calibri><SPAN style="COLOR: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">The root of the trouble lies with the director’s </SPAN><SPAN style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">new twist on the familiar narrative of Joseph and his coat of many colors.</SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> This "Joseph” is set </SPAN><SPAN style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">on, “an MGM soundstage in the Golden Age of Hollywood Cinema. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Rudolph Valentino, W.C. Fields, Mae West, The Little Rascals, Charlie Chaplin and the Marx Brothers are all on hand to playfully spin the Old Testament tale, but will a young cameraman with big dreams become the ultimate star”?</SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT size=3><FONT face=Calibri><SPAN style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT size=3><FONT face=Calibri><SPAN style="COLOR: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">But there’s a fatal layer of disconnect between the Old Testament narrative, and this glam, razzle-dazzle that usually saturates Broadway touring productions. One can’t follow the story-line! The director’s concept doesn’t serve the text as much as it overwhelms it and this misguided concept sinks this musical faster than the cast members can pop their prop balloons.</SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=Calibri size=3>A measure of how poorly the story is told is that the press release is forced to provide a plot synopsis. What you get, in place of narrative drive, are production effects. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Even the children on stage are largely used as decoration. </FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT size=3><FONT face=Calibri>A musical which once possessed its own buoyancy has been turned into a piece of gaudy, chocolate-box commercialism.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And as demonstrated by more effective productions of “Dreamcoat”,<SPAN style="COLOR: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> it's possible to reduce this pop-rock opera without diminishing its force.</SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT size=3><FONT face=Calibri>Additional gripes about the show -- the dancing is at times unpolished, the potentially heart-warming reunion scene is handled superficially, <SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">performances are adequate rather than thrilling, and at times, the singing is off-pitch, shrill, and poorly modulated.</SPAN> Somewhere inside this big, fat show there is a small, delightful musical struggling to get out.</FONT></FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT size=3><FONT face=Calibri><SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT> </P> <br /><hr />The New Busy is not the old busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox. <a href='http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_3' target='_new'>Get started.</a></body>
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