REVIEW: ‘Joseph the Dreamer’ dances around darker themes

REVIEW: ‘Joseph the Dreamer’ dances around darker themes

In its 2025 iteration, again directed by Paolo Valenciano, Joseph the Dreamer boasts polish, charisma, and impressive spectacle. But what becomes increasingly clear as the show unfolds is that it isn’t all that interested in examining how its story and form could speak to today’s audiences. 

Joseph the Dreamer tells the biblical story of Joseph (Sam Concepcion), the 11th son of Jacob (Gary Valenciano), who is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, rises to power in Egypt, and eventually reconciles with the very family that betrayed him. 

Along the way, the musical touches on heavy themes—betrayal, famine, extreme parental favoritism, even predation—but only in passing. These moments are not deeply examined, nor are they allowed to linger. Instead, they are swept quickly aside in favor of a clean, triumphant finale emphasizing God’s plan and familial forgiveness.

Father and Sons

Sam Concepcion leads the production with charisma and physical prowess. His Joseph is appealing and agile—especially in dance-heavy scenes where his movement does much of the emoting. He’s a proven musical theater headliner for good reason, though here, he isn’t given much emotional depth to work with. The material flattens his arc into broad strokes, relying on audience familiarity with the story more than on character exploration.

Gary Valenciano delivers a scene-stealing turn as Jacob. Beneath hair and makeup that nearly render him unrecognizable, Valenciano leans into strong character work with surprising comedic timing and musicality. Dippy Arceo’s Mrs. Potiphar leaves a strong impression as well in a number that is both seductively staged and nearly tonally jarring—a rather risque number in a show otherwise geared toward a family-friendly audience.

The rest of the cast features a large ensemble of brothers (RJ dela Fuente, Matthew Barbers, Mateo Jimenez, Jordan Andrews, and others) who, unfortunately, aren’t given much more than archetypes to play with. 

The dynamic among the siblings is largely functional: we are told that they are jealous, and so the plot moves. Deeper characterization or emotional grounding is mostly absent, and only a few brothers manage to register distinct personalities. 

The women fare even worse. Characters like Rachel (Aicelle Santos), Asenath (Kayla Rivera), and Mrs. Potiphar are thinly drawn and feel like afterthoughts. The performances themselves aren’t lacking, but the material gives them little opportunity to stand out.

In Technicolor

Paolo Valenciano’s direction seems to emphasize visual spectacle above all else. Valenciano crafts a show with elaborate set pieces—especially in the Pharaoh’s court—and compelling lighting effects (lighting design by Dong Calingacion), from strobe to neon, that nearly create a pop-concert vibe. The result is often thrilling to watch. There’s a consistent aesthetic vision that leans toward maximalism, and the pacing never drags.

While the Pharaoh’s palace dazzles, some costumes are curiously anachronistic—Joseph spends much of Act I in what looks like a gym-ready outfit: black jumper and jogging pants. Asenath’s wardrobe, too, seems divorced from the rest of the production’s aesthetic. 

Movement and Music

Choreography (by MJ Arda) plays a nearly outsized role in this production. The ensemble dance numbers are tight, energetic, and visually compelling, so much so that they often overshadow the storytelling. In fact, the production begins to feel more like a dance musical than a dramatic one. There’s one moment where Concepcion delivers an interpretative solo while Rachel sings a ballad, showcasing both his dance ability and choreography as emotional staging. But this only happens in one number.

Musically, the show—under Myke Salomon’s direction and arrangements—sounds clean and cohesive. The music is well-integrated into the narrative, with the score recalling secular Catholic worship songs from the ’90s and early 2000s, or even Disney classics.

A Light Watch

In a time when contemporary audiences are actively reexamining faith, patriarchy, and power structures, Joseph the Dreamer declines to engage. The show’s message leans heavily into trusting God’s plan while sidestepping the messier parts of the Joseph story. The production makes no effort to explore Jacob’s destructive favoritism, the psychological toll of betrayal, or even the unresolved trauma of slavery and predation. Conflicts are introduced, then quickly resolved or dismissed. Everything wraps up neatly in the last 20 minutes.

There is also little attempt to reckon with the show’s lack of female agency or to modernize its storytelling lens. There’s no self-awareness about how sidelined the women are, or how the sanitized treatment of violence and power might land with 2025 audiences.

Still, there’s no denying the entertainment value. The show is brisk, energetic, and well-performed. It’s a crowd-pleaser. But it also feels like a show more invested in preserving a hit title than in evolving with the times. That might be enough for some audiences—but for a musical about visions of the future, this Joseph doesn’t seem all that interested in dreaming bigger.

 

Tickets: Php 3850, Php 2750, Php 2200, Php 1650
Show Dates: July 11 to July 20, 2025
Venue: Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati
Running Time: 2 hours and 30 mins (w/ 15 min intermission)
Company: Trumpets Inc.
Creatives: Freddie Santos (writer), Paolo Valenciano (director), Lorenz Martinez (assistant director), Myke Salomon (musical director / arrangements), MJ Arda (choreography), Mio Infante (Production Designer), Rards Corpus (Sound Designer), Dong Calingacion (Lighting Designer), Myrene Santos (Hair and Makeup)
Cast: Sam Concepcion, Gary Valenciano, Jordan Andrews, Carlo Orosa, Lorenz Martinez, Kayla Rivera, Naya Ambi, Aicelle Santos, Julia Serad, RJ dela Fuente, Matthew Barbers, Carlos Canlas, Paul Valdez, Jim Ferrer, Renz Bernardo, Mateo Jimenez, Luis Marcelo, Sam Panlilio, Ken San Jose, Aldo Vencilao, Dippy Arceo, Sheena Lee Palad, Clave Sun, Liam Nery, Justine Narciso, Coleen Paz, Kathleen Francisco, Iya Villanueva, Daniel Solis