Tap Shoes to Shepherds’ Crooks!
The Lexington Theatre Company moves smoothly to its next show, with a lyrical stop along the way.
As observed by Kevin Lane Dearinger
As befits a company that brings so many nimble dancers to Kentucky, The Lexington Theatre Company always manages a swift and graceful turnaround from one show to the next.
42nd Street closed triumphantly on Sunday night. There was pizza to celebrate. Monday offered a brief intake of breath (even in the heavy humidity), and rehearsals for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat began on Tuesday.
That would be easy enough for such pros, but wait.
Tuesday night the ensemble players gathered at Equus Run Vineyards for the annual Concert Under The Stars.
Energy unabated.
Good will unflagging.
Feet tired, but uncomplaining.
On a small stage on a covered porch, surrounded by rows of arbored grapes and the lush pastures of a Kentucky July, these gifted performers kicked off their tap shoes and opened up their vocal talents in a celebration of American musical theatre.
They planted their feet firmly on the stage. They smiled with exuberant ease. They wore their confidence with earned pride, and their eagerness to share their joy was transporting.
And then they sang.
Each voice rang true and sweet in the evening breeze.
Molly Munn performing at “Concert Under The Stars” 2025
It was deeply moving for any older listener (A-hem!) to hear these youthful voices redefine songs from the Golden Age with their young hearts. The Gershwins, Jerry Herman, Arlen and Harburg, Stouse and Adams, Bock and Harnick, Rodgers and Hart: always sublime, but made fresh by new voices.
One test of a truly great song is that it can embrace generations of sensitive interpreters. Exploring these treasures, the singers seemed to find themselves.
To hear so many beloved lyrics interpreted with such emotional intelligence and fearless artistry made for a few sentimental tears.
Several performers introduced their songs as long-time favorites; others quietly admitted that they had chosen a song that, at first, seemed to them to be too difficult—musically or emotionally—but they always met the challenge.
These adventurous performers also pursued newer material in the musical theatre canon. Jason Robert Brown writes twisty, post-Sondheimian lyrics that require a strong actor. (Found at The Lex!) The country-tanged music of Steve Martin (Yes, that one!) and Edie Brickell seemed at home on the gently rolling hills of the Bluegrass. Ben Platt and Anais Mitchell (Hadestown) were there in song, rich in sound and psychological fury. Hearing a new song and wondering, “Who wrote this gem?” is always an enriching pleasure.
The well-trained and versatile voices—sopranos, altos, tenors, baritones—used every element in their range, exploring the mysterious and sacred connections of music to the soul.
Lyrical high notes in full and glorious voice.
Those ringing notes that only a true tenor can produce.
Heart-stopping high belts with memories of Merman.
Seductive crooning to make Sinatra smile.
A sudden burst of scattering jazz notes to honor the great Ella.
Vowel-bending sounds that take you home on the country roads of memory.
Meticulously controlled and haunting falsetto tones, floating out into the night.
And at least one singer who could chuckle on pitch.
Really!
It was an evening of discovery, rediscovery, and steady wonder.
Where and how does The Lex so consistently find such talent? And how wonderful to find all of this talent down a shaded lane on a Tuesday night.
The recent roll of thunderstorms didn’t dare make a peep, and the sun set quietly in a majestic sky. The audience and the performers, as well as all The Lex interns who skillfully organized and presented the event, went home with full hearts.
Deep sigh for such lovely artistry and dedication to craft.
One hopes that everyone slept soundly and happily.
Ari Barmor performing at “Concert Under The Stars” 2025
And, the next morning, back to rehearsal!
The returning performers revealed not an ounce of exhaustion.
Artists thrive on what’s new, what’s next, each eager to discover what a new show might bring.
42nd Street featured “the kids of the chorus” trying to make it on Broadway. Joseph has real kids, an impressive children’s chorus to carry the show’s delicious astonishment from moment to moment. Children have a gift for the creations of imagination, but none for artifice.
Matching their honesty at every turn is Darian Sanders. This Lexington-native and beloved talent at The Lex returns to play Joseph, he of the famous coat, fresh from his starring role in the national tour of The Lion King. His always fine and ever-stronger voice energizes the company. Darian radiates an unforced charm and kindness, so that even when Joseph, the character, turns into a fashion showboat, we don’t lose faith in him.
Joining Darian is the radiant Audrey Belle Adams, playing the central role of Narrator, weaving together the strands of the story with a warm immediacy. Like Darian, like the rest of the cast, she is a charmer. Her presence is easy-going, confiding, like a best friend who knows all the juiciest tales or a favorite teacher who shares her wisdom with clarity and infinite good nature.
A rehearsal revelation:
When a camera crew is recording an interview in a nearby studio, stage manager Brandon T. Holmes asks that the actors keep their voices low. The rehearsal, however, needs to continue. Darian and Audrey Belle quickly adjust, crooning a pianissimo version of “Any Dream Will Do.” The song suddenly becomes a lullaby, with each word caressed. The sincerity of the performers is quietly profound, and the song, more than ever, conjures up all the sweetest dreams that the young might dream.
The children’s chorus surrounding them is caught up in what might be called Magic.
Or Hope.
Tim X Davis is back with The Lex, trading the Texas-fringed jackets he sported in 42nd Street for the Biblical robes of proud Papa Jacob. He’s back as Music Hall Potiphar. Although not in a loin cloth, Tim wears an irresistible grin and gets to showcase his mastery of style. He is always great company.
Ethan Zeph, last seen here in Disney’s Newsies, is back “in the building” as the Pharoah, very much “The King” in a memorable variation on that commanding theme. If you know the show, you’ll know that Joseph’s Egypt will soon be “All Shook Up!”
Joseph, of course, would have no story to tell without his famous “brethren.”
And what a bunch of crooks!
Shepherd crooks, that is: those hooked herding staffs that you always see in “Bible pictures.”
Could they be the tap shoes of this show?
Well, they certainly get a workout—collectively and individually choreographed to express the playfulness, the pride, and even the treacherous envy of Joseph’s siblings.
They also offer a reminder of the humble beginnings of this ancient story.
Each time the brothers gather to sing, they threaten to stop the show with another of the show’s hilarious lampoons of popular song styles. They might be seen doing some boot-scootin’ and even be heard to shout “Yeee-haw” in a manner most unbiblical. And later, perhaps, they will break out a baguette or croissant.
Joseph is not a show to take itself too seriously, but neither does it ever stoop to show disrespect for its story. It is all about story-telling and redemption.
Joseph and his brothers might have been better behaved if they had been given a few biblical sisters. Nevertheless, the women in Joseph, like the Old Testament ladies, remain ever-present. They dance, they sing, they keen, they swish their skirts, they step up and step out, and then they get to go all Egyptian on us. Which has to be better than being the womenfolk in a patriarchal community of sheep herders.
This is all to say that The Lex hires great talents and lets every talent shine.
Lucky us.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at The Lexington Theatre Company
Concert Under the Stars is an annual event.
The Lexington Theatre Company’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat plays the Lexington Opera House for six wonder-filled performances, July 31-August 3. Curtain time on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening at 7:30, Sunday at 6:30, with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 1:00.
Kevin Lane Dearinger is a retired actor, singer, and teacher. His published works include four theatre histories, six volumes of poetry, several plays, and two memoirs, Bad Sex in Kentucky and On Stage with Bette Davis: Inside the Fabulous Flop of Miss Moffat. His theatrical career took him to Broadway, on tour across the United States, Canada, and Japan, and to many of the best regional theatres in the country. Cast lists have called him Freddy, Cornelius, Motel, Albert, Henrik, Enoch, Enoch, Jr., Jim, Etienne, Courtice, Herman, Charlie, Lucas, Sam, Paul, Mac, Josiah, Frank, Billy, Sylvester, Waldo, Teenager, The Boy, Androcles, Dromio, First Bartender, Footman, Flunky, Also Featuring, Others in Cast Include, and quite a few other character names. When he was very young, he sang in a Broadway tribute to director Joshua Logan at the Imperial Theatre; his last professional performance was in a Broadway tribute to Stephen Sondheim at the New Amsterdam. He is proud of his Actors Equity Pension and counts among his blessings the privilege of sitting in on rehearsals with The Lexington Theatre Company.
