Published: August 13, 2009 10:10 am      

THEATER: 'Joseph' dances back to Artpark

Some days it’s all good.

Like recently when I went to do an interview with the director of the new musical at Artpark and I got to sit in on the first rehearsal they were doing in full costume.

There I was, seated in the dark among the nearly empty seats of the Mainstage Theater, watching the evolution of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” unfold on the stage.

As I let the lovely harmonies wash over me, I felt I had received a perfect little gift on a rainy afternoon. And it was wrapped in a multi-colored dreamcoat.

The older I get, the more I realize you really have to consciously savor these little bits of sweetness in life.

And I can try to honestly report, without the bias of the gifted, that as I walked out of the theater into a torrential rainfall, I was smiling and humming the music of the first act’s hoe-down, called “One More Angel in Heaven.”

Yes, I said hoe-down. Despite the fact that “Joseph” is a biblical story set in early Egypt, the musical includes all types of music from country western to calypso to rock ’n roll.

In the section of the first act, I got to see Joseph’s 11 brothers do flips across the stage during a barndance in cowboy boots as they celebrate that their pain-in-the-neck little brother has been dispatched to some foreign location.

For those who don’t know the musical, “Joseph” is a joyful collaboration between the amazing Andrew Lloyd Weber and the outrageous Tim Rice, who have worked together before in blockbuster productions including “Evita” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

And even if you’ve never heard any of the music of this super-duo, you surely know the story of Joseph, which comes straight from the Bible and teaches parents that it’s never a good idea to favor one kid over the other. And that dreams can come true, of course.

Let me just say if you have a youngster you’ve been wanting to introduce to musical theater, this is the show you’re going to want to take them to.

The musical “Joseph” has been around since the late ’60s. It’s been done countless times on professional stages and high school auditoriums.

It was about a decade ago when Donny Osmond, the favored child of his own family of famous siblings, slipped on the coat for his musical comeback in the Broadway production of “Joseph.”

And now, the musical has come back to the Artpark stage after about a 10-year absence, which is when I saw it for the first time. The set has been revived and the choreographer, Lynne Kurdziel-Formato, has done this play at least a couple of times over at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute.

So what’s so hard about putting together a beloved musical that’s been around for decades when you already have a set and an experienced choreographer?

For its director, Randall Kramer, the challenge will be simply to water the flower without overdoing it.

Kramer, who is the founder of MusicalFare at Daemen College in Amherst, told me each time you cast a show with new actors, the show “kind of takes on its own life.”

Kramer, who had a short two weeks to get the cast in sync, said his biggest concern was just making sure to utilize the time he had. His intent was “not getting in the way of telling the story.”

And yet, when creatives get together, they apparently can’t help but add their own touches — aficionados of the musical will want to look for those. Randall tells me there’s some intimacy between Joseph and the beautiful narrator in this production that might not have been seen elsewhere.

Speaking of the leads, both have great stage credentials. Gregg Goodbrod, as Joseph, and Nikki Renee Daniels, as the Narrator, have each had leads in some of my favorite musical productions from “Beauty and the Beast” and “South Pacific” to “Les Miserables.” Both have performed on Broadway. That is what is so great about these Artpark musicals. Great talent comes here and performs with some of our best local actors, musicians and stage crew.

I have tickets to tonight’s opening, and the event has been shimmering on my calendar this week like a little oasis.

And when I’m watching, I’ll know some of the fun little background details that make a behind the scenes visit so cool. Like the fact that one of the brothers won’t be able to do a full leg lift when he does the Freddy because his Egyptian skirt pops open when he lifts his leg. Lift your leg a little less, he was told. Yes, he could.

That’s the cool stuff you get to see when you’re there at dress rehearsal. And I get to see it all again tonight when the play opens at Artpark.

Like I said, it’s all good. And I know it.