Not unlike Moses himself, the Andria Theatre’s production of The Prince of Egypt takes a while to find its footing and has to deal with flaws and missteps along the way, but it still ultimately becomes a moving and inspirational piece of theatre.
The first few scenes showcase both the production’s highlights and its flaws. The opening number “Deliver Us” was robbed of a lot of its impact by subpar sound, which made the voices of the actors in the chorus unbalanced and hard to understand. But when the dancers took center stage, representing the river that led the baby Moses to the palace, the choreography was well-coordinated and beautiful (I was reminded of the ballet sequences in the Andria’s past production of Anastasia, which were also a highlight). Some of the actors, too, felt unsteady at the show’s start. Various actors seemed to have difficulty projecting, and Charles Grussing as Pharoah Seti felt less like an imposing father figure than a doddering old man.
However, from the first time we see them Justin Roob and Ben Dyrhaug as Moses and Ramses are both wonderful. They have great sibling chemistry and play off each other well, which gives the show’s drama a strong base to build on. Roob also does very well with Moses’s solo numbers, embodying songs like “Footprints in the Sand” with real soul. Dyrhaug’s best moments are in the second act when he finds himself being torn between his duties as Pharoah and his desire to do right by his adopted brother, and the way their relationship concludes is truly heartening in a way people more familiar with the movie (or other portrayals of the Exodus narrative) might not expect.
The show as a wbole fares better in the second act than the first, and even the first act takes a while to truly become engaging. As good as Roob and Dyrhaug were, and as visually appealing as the choreography and use of projections were at setting the scene, I just didn’t feel drawn in. But when Moses left Egypt to enter the wilderness, everything changed. He’s welcomed in by the tribe of Midianites and their high priest Jetbro (David Christman) through the song “Through Heaven’s Eyes”, and with that number’s energy, spirit, and heart the entire show opened up to me. Like the character of Moses himself, I was finally swept up and found myself in a world that felt beautiful and welcoming. From then on, the show kicked into high gear and I had no trouble losing myself in the production. Director Ben Klipfel seems to really find his footing when handling the confrontations between Moses and Ramses, and his portrayal of the plagues is also powerfully done. You could hear a pin drop in the audience when the deaths of the firstborn are dramatized, and it leads to an unexpectedly heartbreaking solo “Heartless” from Ramses’ wife Nefertari (Amelia Meier).
Visually, the production is very well executed. The dance choreography by Nicole Hitch is strong throughout, which for this show is very important because in addition to the group numbers like “Simcha” and “When You Believe”, the dramatization of things like Moses’s trip through the desert, the burning bush, and the parting of the Red Sea are all reliajt on skilled dancers. They’re supplemented here with projections (made by the Fargo-based company Livewire Entertainment with Leah Drexler serving as video producer) that help to set the scene and enhance the drama, but thankfully do not overwhelm it by calling attention to themselves. Sometimes the contrast felt a bit off – the image was maybe a bit lighter than it should have been – but it still worked. Those technical flaws were an issue throughout. As mentioned earlier, the sound balance wasn’t great, and there were a few moments when the actors’ mics weren’t turned on in time so their lines started out muffled.
Despite some of my misgivings early on, The Prince of Egypt still ended up being a moving and thought-provoking show, with strong performances at its center from the lead actors and musical and dance sequences that create moments of true beauty.
THE PRINCE OF EGYPT plays at the Andria Theatre through October 10th
Leave a comment