Lehi's Joseph well done fun

One of the nice things about having a personal blog is I don't have to ask permission to do a review on a community theater production.
Generally the daily papers shy away from community theater because A. the actors aren't and don't pretend to be professional and B. there are lots of such productions and people get angry when their particular show isn't reviewed.
But, hey, I've got no such restrictions these days and the production I saw last night in the Lehi High School auditorium deserves mention.
I went kind of reluctantly because my husband and I had just seen "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at the Pickleville Playhouse in Garden City. We loved it and I didn't want to ruin my memories with a lackluster show.
But my husband wanted to introduce a little bunch of our grandkids to the show and the tickets were cheap so we gathered seven chicks together and paid our money and took our seats.
It was wonderful, well done and fun.
The pace was lively and the cast, though it included lots of cute little kids, did a really fine job dancing, singing and sweeping the audience along with the story.
Director Robert Smith clearly has a knack for getting his cast to pay attention and stay on task.
Even the little ones were doing their choreography and making the faces that fit the situation.
Joseph, played by Spencer Behrend, has a tremendous voice and look. He excels from the moment he's plucked "at random" from the audience to the finale when his multi-colored coat envelopes most of the rest of the cast.
McKelle Lindsay Shaw is a great Potiphar's wife, relishing in tormenting Joseph.
The narrators, McKenzie Evans, Amber Glissmeyer and Ashley McKinnon are all talented vocalists who never miss a cue.
Kristopher Higley plays the part of the Pharaoh Elvis on spot.
The brothers, Jacob, the butler, the baker, the wives and the Ishmaelites are all easy to watch. (It's always fun in Joseph to see how the Ishmaelites are portrayed, this time it's with cell phones and dancing in line.)
The production doesn't look or sound like an amateur show.
It's well costumed, well choreographed (even with a large cast of all ages) and really just very well done.
It deserves a healthy audience and a long run.
(It's playing at the high school at 7 p.m. through July 30. Get tickets at the door or at lehicityarts.org)