Delay can’t daunt lively ‘Joseph’

This tour of the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice spectacle, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” got off to a slow start on Thursday, and I am not referring to the pacing.

At the advertised curtain time of 7:30 p.m., all of the ticket holders were still jammed onto the stairs and terraces, wondering why the doors to the auditorium were shut. The doors finally opened, and we took our seats, but still – nothing. Finally, about 8:05 p.m., West Coast Entertainment chief Jack Lucas announced that the show’s trucks and buses had been delayed by snow on Snoqualmie Pass. The good news was the set had been loaded, the performers had arrived, and the show would go on. “There’s no business like snow business,” he said.

So, about 40 minutes late, the first strains of Lloyd Webber’s overture began. Despite what must have been a traumatic day for cast and crew, the show betrayed no evidence of any problems. This goofy and high-spirited biblical parable rolled along with the polish and efficiency that comes with long practice. The crowd may have been a bit peeved about the long wait, but by the end, they were standing and roaring their approval.

Not that this is the best rendition of “Joseph” ever to hit Spokane. This is a relatively low-budget, non-Equity (union) tour. In terms of flash, dazzle and production values, it pales in comparison to the big ‘90s tour that featured a giant staircase, Vegas-style production numbers and a full children’s choir.

This tour features a single all-purpose set, some medium-rent costumes and a pit combo with five touring musicians. The production still delivered some pizzazz with its flashy backdrop, rotating lights and tall columns that suddenly sprouted palm leaves, but no one would ever mistake it for Vegas.

The cast makes up for it in sheer energy. This is a young cast, typical of non-Equity tours. At times it struck me as almost like a big college show, at a school where the students are all particularly talented. Joseph’s 11 brothers and the eight-woman ensemble were especially fun to watch, as they camped their way through the show’s foot-stomping country number, “One More Angel In Heaven”; the coconut-flavored calypso number, “Benjamin Calypso”; and the weepy French café number, “Those Canaan Days.”

Adam Ryan Tackett brings a fine singing voice to the role of Joseph and was particularly effective in the songs “Any Dream Will Do” and “Close Every Door.” His stage presence is a bit thin, but he exudes a fresh, youthful innocence, which is not a bad thing in a show that is, essentially, a children’s musical.

Clarissa Grace, as the narrator, brought down the house with several big, bravura vocal numbers – although surely the costumers could scrounge up some nicer outfits for her. She looked like she was attending an office Christmas party. Matt O’Brien played up the role of the pharaoh for every bit of its faux-Elvis camp appeal.

The director, Dallett Norris, threw in some modern touches. Jacob, for instance, is often seen gabbing his cell phone. The one misstep in the production numbers came in a rah-rah “Go, Go, Joseph” number when everybody came out with pom-poms and cheerleader outfits. I could not shake the image of Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri.

The show itself? Well, it’s consistently silly, but that’s one reason I find it to be the one Lloyd Webber musical that I consistently enjoy. It tells a simple story well, it has catchy melodies, it aims strictly for fun, and it lacks all trace of Lloyd Webber bombast.

In fact, I didn’t find myself actively irritated by it until the encore number, something called the “Joseph Megamix,” in which the actors run out in street clothes and practically reprise the entire show. It struck me as (1) padding and (2) pandering for applause. I will say it achieved both goals.