With music and lyrics by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, and directed by Laurence Connor, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, based off Joseph from the Book of Genesis, tells the story of the favoured son of Jacob; how he is betrayed by his jealous brothers, his subsequent rise into power and how he is reunited with and saves his brothers.
What an incredible joy to go back into the world of Joseph! This light-hearted and comedic production of this utter classic of Musical Theatre feels as fresh and current as ever and was thoroughly enjoyable. It is chock full of anachronistic phrases and props that simultaneously felt hilariously out of place and at the same time help to modernise the piece without feeling overly forced.
The cast’s performances are incredible. Adam Filipe as Joseph is utterly perfect. Joseph to me runs the risk of being unlikeable as he is a somewhat cocky and arrogant character on paper but Filipe’s charm makes our protagonist an incredibly likeable character that you just can’t help rooting for. With so many things happening around Joseph, Filipe’s incredible stage presence means he remains the point of focus.
The entire ensemble are the lifeblood of the show and are consistently high energy throughout, bringing the story alive.
The children ensemble, who range from having no stage credits to Matilda graduates, are brilliant and hold their own against the rest of the cast amazingly well.
But Christina Bianco as the Narrator steals the show. She is absolutely astonishing, propelling the story forward wonderfully with her amazing vocals and charisma.
The show is packed to the brim of high octane ensemble numbers (choreographed by JoAnn M. Hunter) and a complete mash up of every dance style and music genre from across the decades including an incredible tap break in ‘Joseph’s Dreams’, a can-can in ‘Those Canaan Days’, the western-style line dance in ‘One More Angel In Heaven’, and cheerleading in ‘Go, Go, Go Joseph’. All of which are just pure high energy joy. Although the stand outs for me were ‘One More Angel In Heaven’ and ‘Those Canaan Days’ largely because of the incredible lead from Hugh Cotton as Reuben and Will Haswell as Simeon in each respectively. They elevated the comedy of the show and the numbers were made so memorable by their input.
Of course, Joe McElderry as Pharaoh was incredible and absolutely nails the role. He not only gives an incredible vocal performance but infuses the role with so much comedy and theatrics making a memorable highlight of the show. And Adam Filipe’s vocal performance was pitch-perfect. His rendition of ‘Close Every Door’ was unbelievable and I was completely blown away.
The entire thing is a spectacle to see: Morgan Large’s design work is amazing and brings so much life to the show. The costumes were absolutely beautiful. Joseph’s coat especially was extremely creatively designed and was how I tend to imagine the coat with the varying colours remaining prominent without the different colours being the only feature. The bright vibrant colours of the brothers’ costumes juxtaposed beautifully against their costumes for ‘Those Canaan Days’ and the cheerleading costumes and the can-can dresses were wonderful. The set was also incredible, being both immersive and dynamic while remaining largely minimalistic.
Overall, this production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is absolutely incredible. It’s brilliantly fun with incredible vocal performances, big camp ensemble numbers, and comedic lightheartedness that makes it a spectacle for anyone to enjoy.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is touring around the UK until the 10th of August. Tour dates and tickets can be found here.
All photos used are taken by Tristram Kenton. All credits and rights belong to him. All his photos for the production can be viewed here and more of his photos can be found on his website.
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