My hubby and I saw the Côte-Saint-Luc Dramatic Society’s production of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat last night and  I will be 100% honest that NEVER did I expect to experience the level of talent and enjoyment that we did. Perhaps my surprise stems from the fact that it is the first time that I ever attended one of their productions and that I was truthfully in the mindset of being happy to attend to support a ‘local community production’. This was WAAAAAY beyond what one expects from a ‘local community production’…this was a professional production with REAL talent.

The show kicked off with the narrators Jeanne Motulsky and Nicole Arrage and the moment Arrage sang her first note, my jaw dropped. Her talent goes beyond her incredible vocals- her stage presence, her dance moves and her ability to exude emotion made her absolutely captivating, especially with Motulsky as her partner. “Narrator” in this show is a role of extreme importance and this pair knocked it out of the park.

Sam boucher is perfect as Joseph. From his voice, his ability to look like he is dreaming at all of the right moments and his own stage presence down to his ‘look of innocence’, Boucher really embodies Joseph.

I could go on and on about each of the cast members, but this would be a REALLY long post as last night the cast was made up of 38 people ages 8-80!  This fact actually blew me away and legitimately contributed to the production. There was something absolutely beautiful and spectacular about seeing young kids, teens, younger adults and seniors performing side by side and each and every one contributing to the production. I cannot tell you how many times I marvelled about how beautifully INCLUSIVE this production was when I looked upon the stage in the numbers where everyone was involved.  I want to be absolutely clear that this inclusivity absolutely ENHANCED the production as opposed to detracting from it. I will add a comment that my husband made that is so true: Everyone on that stage looked so happy and PROUD to be there. And rightfully so, because together, they made magic.

While I will spare you the excess of going through each and every role, I’m going to give honourable mention to a few of the players:

Mayor Mitch Brownstein actually played two roles last night: his role as Potiphar as well as the role of Jacob.  The actor who plays Jacob had to be in Toronto due to the death of a parent. Brownstein filled in and I have to admit- he did a great job in both roles!

Kenny Stein was hysterical and reminded me oddly of Josh Gad as LeFou in Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ live action film.  If you ever read my review of that film, you’ll know that this comes to him as the highest compliment.

You couldn’t help but love Justin Johnson especially in his performance in the Benjamin Calypso where he impressed not only with his vocals but also elicited a lot of giggles from the audience.

I have to mention that Craig Dailey got the audience laughing as well, even when he wasn’t being ‘so nice’ 😉

The brothers had great chemistry together as did the dancers who brought so much to the show with their spunk, smiles, costumes and yes…talent!

I must absolutely mention the kids and seniors ‘on the side’, who I will refer to as the ‘angels in the wings’. Their contribution to this show must not go unmentioned. At various points of the show, I forced myself to pull my gaze away from what was going on centre-stage to watch these performers. Their energy, enthusiasm and beautiful voices kicked the show up a notch at the same time as being a visual reminder of what community is all about. I have to tip my proverbial hat off to the Côte-Saint-Luc Dramatic Society, who managed to pull off an all-star performance with ‘community’ performers.

Before I send you off to buy your tickets I MUST mention that the music as well as the choreography in the show was excellent.  As someone who has never seen Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat before, I wasn’t expecting to experience so many genres of music in one musical- It was a ‘technicolour soundtrack’ of sort and the band, under the direction of Nick Burgess, performed it spectacularly well. The choreography in some of the scenes actually impressed me so much that I HAD to whisper to my husband during the show: “The CHOREOGRAPHY!!!”

What can I say about the creative and production team? A cast of nearly 40 players, each with the greatest talent does not come together on its own – it takes tremendous talent and teamwork to bring it all together and that talent and teamwork oozed through every part of the show last night. Huge congratulations go out to Producers Mitchell Brownstein and Mitch Kujavsky and their entire team.

Just so that you know, I loved the show so much that I was messaging family members last night that they MUST go see it, and I urge you to do the same. This happens to be an excellent show for the whole family OR as a date night OR as a girls-night-out. One thing is for sure: You should book your tickets now. I heard last night that 60% of tickets had already been sold. After seeing the show, I predict that it is going to sell out FAST.

Performances are scheduled through June 17 and tickets can be purchased online at CSLDramaticSociety.com or in person at the Eleanor London Côte Saint-Luc Public Library or the Aquatic and Community Centre. General
admission is $32, with $28 tickets available for students and seniors.

Enjoy the show!

Tanya