By SARIT LASCHINSKY

Special to The Press

Students from Parkland High School’s Visual and Performing Arts Department recently took to the stage and performed the musical adventure “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” for their spring play, which was virtually streamed May 21-23.

The musical comedy, directed by Francis Anonia, is based on the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors from the Bible’s Book of Genesis, with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber,

According to the copyright owners, the show has been performed by more than 20,000 high schools and amateur theater groups, including Parkland High School 30 years ago.

The play opens with the performance of “Any Dream Will Do” by Joseph (Brycen Geiger) before the play’s three narrators (Emily Bachl, Paige Herman and Taylor Shortell) take viewers to the land of Canaan and introduce them to Joseph’s father, Jacob, (Carter Sachse) and his 12 sons.

The 11th son, Joseph, is his father’s favorite and receives a beautiful multicolor coat from Jacob as a show of his love.

While Joseph is ecstatic, the decision leaves Joseph’s brothers green with envy and feeling second-best.

“I look handsome, I look smart; I am a walking work of art,” Jacob sings while his brothers lyrically fume that, “We had never liked him all that much before; and now this coat has got our goat, we feel life is unfair.”

After Joseph dreams he will one day rule over his siblings, in the form of 11 shaves of corn and 11 stars in the sky bowing before him, the brothers decide to act, calling Joseph “dim” but at the same time trying to prevent the dream from coming true.

The brothers attack Joseph, initially planning on killing him before changing their minds and selling him into slavery to a passing group of Ishmaelites who take Joseph to Egypt, despite his protests that, “I don’t speak Egyptian very well!”

As the narrators lament Joseph’s situation in the song “Poor Poor Joseph,” the brothers shred and stain the coat with blood before returning to their father to inform him of Joseph’s “death.”

Led by Reuben (Robbie Moore) the brothers present the ruined coat to a heartbroken Jacob, and Reuben sings that, “there’s one more angel in Heaven, there’s one more star in the sky,” but promises Jacob that the things Joseph stood for, “like truth and light never die.”

However, as soon as Jacob leaves, the brothers break out into a country western-themed hoedown, cheerfully singing “One More Angel in Heaven” as they celebrate Joseph’s absence.

Meanwhile, in Egypt, Joseph has been sold to the wealthy Egyptian Potiphar (Sachse) whom he impresses with his diligent service and hard work, and Joseph is promoted to run the household.

However, Joseph catches the eye of Mrs. Potiphar (Alyssa Cahill) and, while fending off her advances, is incorrectly accused by Potiphar of committing actions “beyond the veil” before the heartbroken millionaire throws him in jail.

Alone in his cell, Joseph reflects on his miserable situation with a sorrowful and dramatic rendition of “Close Every Door,” lamenting to “just give me a number instead of my name; forget all about me and let me decay,” but also noting that “children of Israel are never alone,” having been promised a land of their own.

He is soon joined by two prisoners, a butler (Moore) and baker (Michaiah Watkins) who served the Pharaoh, and they ask Joseph for help interpreting their dreams.

Joseph predicts the butler will be free “to buttle once more” while the baker will be executed, stating while the two should not rely on his visions, “it’s just that I have not been wrong before,” all the while the ensemble cast encourages Joseph to trust in his own dreams.

After a brief intermission, the second act opens with the narrators revealing the Pharaoh (Lydia Walker) has been having a series of crazy dreams, and “a man who can interpret could go far, could become a star.”

The now-freed butler tells the Pharaoh of Joseph’s talents and, in a rock ’n’ roll performance reminiscent of Elvis Presley, the Pharaoh asks for Joseph’s help in deciphering a particularly frightening dream featuring seven fat and seven skinny cows, and seven healthy and seven dead ears of corn.

Joseph predicts Egypt will see seven years of bountiful harvests followed by seven years of famine and, in return, Joseph is not only pardoned by the Pharaoh but is also made the Egyptian leader’s second-in-command to lead Egypt through the famine.

While Joseph enjoys his riches and status in Egypt, back in Canaan his family is destitute and starving due to the famine, and brother Simeon (Marcus Shin) leads the group to don berets and reminisce about better times in the French ballad “Those Canaan Days.”

After singing about the elegant soirées, beautiful summers and fine cuisine they used to know, Simeon regretfully notes that since the brothers lost Joseph, “we’ve gone to the other extreme.”

“Perhaps we all misjudged the lad; perhaps he wasn’t quite that bad, and how we miss his entertaining dreams,” he sings.

The brothers travel to Egypt to beg for food and grovel before Joseph, whom they do not recognize, with the latter remarking his original dream had come true while watching his brothers bow to him.

After questioning the brothers on why he should help them, Joseph bestows them with bags of food, but not before secretly planting a gold cup in the sack of his youngest brother Benjamin (Jared Sussman).

As the brothers leave, Joseph accuses them of theft, and when the cup is discovered, Joseph calls for Benjamin to be thrown in jail.

However, in a calypso-themed performance while wearing Hawaiian shirts, the other brothers led by Judah (Catharine Aboulhouda) proclaim Benjamin’s innocence and ask they be taken prisoner in his place.

Recognizing his brothers have changed their ways, Joseph reveals himself and calls for Jacob to join them.

Upon being reunited with his long-lost son, Jacob returns Joseph’s technicolor coat and the group sings “Any Dream Will Do” once more.

The show concludes with each cast member coming forward to take a bow, while a mix of all the songs featured in the performance plays in the background.

A tribute was also included to the cast and crew members of the Class of 2021.

Additional cast members include Katarina O’Mara, Eric Wood, Andrew Sachse, Anna Lorenzo, Jovanne Cortez, Rachel Kanter and Brenna Pelizzoni as Joseph’s other seven brothers - Levi, Naphtali, Issachar, Asher, Dan, Zebulun and Gad.

Ensemble members included Laurel Bendetti, Zachary Evans, Nathan Metcalf, Jason Roca, Margaret Schairer, Addison Treat, Michaiah Watkins and Grace Werteen.

Dance ensemble members were Gabriela Baran, Zoe Breininger, Alyssa Cahill, Emma Carpenetti, Amanda Lane, Brenna Pelizzoni, Addison Treat, Lydia Walker and Grace Werteen.

Finally, onstage choir members included Marlie Heym, Luciana Carnero, Amanda Lane, Savannah Leon, Maura Mahmood, Adrian Maghacot, Elizabeth Ott, Jenna Stanski and Jack Valuntas.