BETHEL - I didn't wait more than a few minutes to reach out to NewArts Director Michael Unger after learning late last winter that he had chosen to close his 2017 summer musical "two-fer" with the Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd Webber musical based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis.Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,

Maybe I was spoiled by that dynamic musical duo's preceding work on Jesus Christ Superstar Going back to the first of several productions I had seen in 1980, a decade after this Rice and Lloyd Webber's follow-up to Joseph., but I did not shy away from chiding Mr Unger that I was no fan of Superstar debuted in the United States, I found myself bored by long narrative stretches that seemed to bog down the Joseph performances I first willingly attended at the University of New Haven, and later dragged myself to see at the request of friends who either starred in or had kids being featured in the show.

But on the night of August 11 - opening night for the NewArts production - I had an epiphany: I just had terrible luck not seeing the right Joseph.

By intermission, Unger's NewArts take on the show had already blown me away, and Act 2 was even better!

Anybody who craves good theater would have been well served seeing this show, and shame on anyone who missed it and still has the gall to say there's just no really good community theater around the area these days.

Mr Unger, his expert crew and colleagues, including his wife, the sparkling Janet Metz as the Narrator, worked magic by providing a production, costumes, sets, music, and a rich, inclusive theater environment that helped transform a troupe of random local kids into a professional caliber company of performers who individually and collectively lit up the stage of Walnut Hill Community Church.

Their singing was breathtaking and the choreography is like nothing I have ever seen in a "community theater" production in my life. And closing the show - as they did after each fantastic late July take on Willy Wonka - with an original song titled "Rise Above, Go Beyond," which was written by the young participants, was a superb and tearful stroke of endearing genius.

In no particular order - because each aspect of the show was equally great - Music Director Jeffrey Saver led his pit orchestra through the often complex numbers, coordinating on perfect cue to each take, nuance, and dance step of the cast.

Choreographer Tara Jean Vallee cast some sort of spell on her young charges and Ms Metz, conjuring up a universal willingness among her cast to put it all out there. So often even professional productions can make a reviewer feel like the dance numbers and dancers are so self-aware that their over-the-top moves can become almost distracting.

But these dancers in Joseph delivered indescribably good dance routines that were so natural and seemingly effortless that I spent the entire night anticipating how much better the next routine would be.

The scenic designers and lighting crew balanced functional sparseness perfectly against the eye-popping costumes and props - with my only slight disappointment coming when large chorus numbers drowned out the leads' vocals and upward tweaks of their body microphones elicited sudden honks of feedback. There were also a couple of key points where the mics were not turned up soon enough, and a couple of lines of dialogue were lost.

To the sound crew's credit, each of these few opening night glitches were quickly and expertly corrected.

Having performed the role professionally on two previous occasions in Equity companies, Ms Metz did not hold back in this "local" production, and her sweet tone was as appropriately suited for the wonderful songs she showcased during the show.

Charles Romano was perfectly cast as the title character, never losing his sense of innocence and whimsy as he trod his way through the trials and tribulations of the family relations that also played well against each of his brothers and their wives, who also put forth some hilarious work and terrific dancing.

And who couldn't love Joseph DeVellis whose triple duty as Jacob, Potiphar, and Pharaoh simply rocked. I am already excited to learn what he will be up to next, so I can line up now to buy my ticket.

The children's choir and chorus members all individually contributed to the show's success. They behaved as professionally as any child actors you might see on Broadway. There was nary a moment where they lost focus on the job at hand, which can be so challenging for little ones or even teens when faced with long periods between songs.

And a special high furry five to Cosmo the dog, who has fulfilled yet another live animal role in a NewArts production with dutiful poise.

Now that the summer season and NewArts ninth and tenth productions have closed, Mr Unger and his team led by NewArts founder and Newtown resident Dr Michael Baroody will move on to the second local staging of A Christmas Carol this winter. Look for audition notices soon, as well as solicitations for volunteers to handle backstage, house, and crew jobs for that popular holiday engagement.

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