{"id":89281,"date":"2026-07-01T11:19:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T18:19:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/?p=89281"},"modified":"2026-07-01T11:21:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T18:21:04","slug":"theater-news-joseph-and-the-amazing-technicolor-dreamcoat-gets-a-modern-reboot-at-musical-theatre-west","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/eat-see-do-2\/see\/theater-news-joseph-and-the-amazing-technicolor-dreamcoat-gets-a-modern-reboot-at-musical-theatre-west","title":{"rendered":"Theater News: \u2018Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat\u2019 gets a modern reboot at Musical Theatre West"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to Theater News, a regular column by longtime reviewer Anita W. Harris. Look for it most Thursdays. Or\u00a0sign up<\/a>\u00a0for our Eat. See. Do. newsletter to get it in your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice\u2019s blockbuster musicals include \u201cEvita\u201d and \u201cJesus Christ Superstar.\u201d But one of their earliest collaborations dates back to 1968 \u2014 \u201cJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,\u201d a biblical story with catchy tunes like \u201cAny Dream Will Do\u201d and \u201cGo, Go, Go Joseph.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Musical Theatre West is bringing the show to Long Beach beginning next weekend but giving its songs a \u201ccontemporary twist\u201d through subtle references and performance styles inspired by artists such as Beyonc\u00e9, Bruno Mars and Adam Levine, according to the theater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are keeping its spirit alive but using rhythms, choreography and costumes from this millennia,\u201d director Larry Raben told the Long Beach Post. \u201cIt’s the same story, but the younger generation will recognize the different artists and music videos we are paying homage to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

San Diego native Brian Justin Crum, who plays the lead role of Joseph, told the Long Beach Post he\u2019s looking forward to bringing his character into the present day by sonically exploring what Joseph can sound like now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe show has kind of been stuck in 1980s and ’90s synth sound for decades now, and I\u2019m excited to give it a modern sound,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n Link<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Crum himself may be a draw for local audiences, having sung on the television show \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent,\u201d toured nationally with Broadway shows like \u201cWicked\u201d and \u201cGrease\u201d and performed in the star-studded \u201cJesus Christ Superstar\u201d at the Hollywood Bowl last summer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had so many career highlights over the years,\u201d Crum said. \u201cMy first night in \u2018Wicked\u2019 \u2014 I was 18 years old and had been dreaming of that moment my whole life. I still remember the full-body chills I felt as the curtain went up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He describes singing on \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent,\u201d staged live at the Dolby Theatre with millions of people watching, as \u201cso big\u201d and \u201cincredible,\u201d and says he\u2019s still pinching himself a year after performing at the Hollywood Bowl with the likes of Cynthia Erivo and Adam Lambert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crum and his character have a lot in common, he said, especially Joseph\u2019s ability to adapt to his surroundings and make the best out of dark times, \u201calways showing up with light and energy and purpose.\u201d Crum even has the word \u201cdreamer\u201d tattooed on his rib cage, which he got after first playing Joseph years ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have always believed, since I was five years old, that life would take me to incredible places and fantastic adventures,\u201d Crum said. \u201cI dreamed big and stayed flexible as life threw curveballs my way.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crum brings \u201cmodern pop-star energy\u201d to his role, the theater says. Director Raben describes Joseph as \u201cevery kid who\u2019s ever stood in front of a bedroom mirror imagining they were a superstar.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Brian captures both the charisma and heart of the character in a way that feels incredibly relevant to today’s audiences,” Raben said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other cast members include Daebreon Poiema as the Narrator, \u201cwhose powerhouse vocals and commanding stage presence help guide audiences through Joseph’s remarkable journey,\u201d according to the theater. And Kenneth Mosley brings \u201ccharisma, humor and larger-than-life energy\u201d as the Pharaoh and Simeon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou won’t have ever heard a better sung version of this\u00a0show,\u201d Raben said. \u201cAudiences may spot a few fun nods to some of today’s biggest music icons, but at its heart, it’s still the same timeless story about believing in your dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Musical Theatre West\u2019s \u201cJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat\u201d performs July 10 to 26 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 E. Atherton St., with shows Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sundays at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. For tickets, call the box office at 562-856-1999 or visit <\/em>Musical.org<\/em><\/a>. Student rush tickets are $15 with valid ID at the box office one hour prior to each show. Run time is 1 hour and 50 minutes, including intermission.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe show has kind of been stuck in 1980s and ’90s synth sound for decades now, and I\u2019m excited to give it a modern sound,\u201d said Brian Justin Crum, who plays the lead role of Joseph.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":207,"featured_media":89284,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32366],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[32310],"class_list":["post-89281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-see","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/207"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89281"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89286,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89281\/revisions\/89286"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89281"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=89281"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=89281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}