30 August – 10 September
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Back in the day when rock operas were in their infancy the Rice/Lloyd Webber partnership were mining the old and new testaments for material. The resulting triumvirate were highly successful and proved to be the launchpad for what was to become one of the most successful and popular musical partnerships in theatre history. I caught the show late 1972 at the Roundhouse in London where Gary Bond was Joseph. That simply staged, early production had the essential seeds of today’s highly glossy offering namely some annoyingly catchy songs.
In effect an illustrated telling of the Bible story of parental love and sibling rivalry with songs, dance and pzazz, the current production fizzes and bounces along with some notable performances and – greatest of blessings – the ability to have it’s tongue pressed firmly in its cheek. Whilst thin on any driving plotline the, ‘scenes from a life’, all terminate in a catchy number giving the show a high entertainment factor. Jason Donovan, who famously, has previously played Joseph, now returns to the production as the ‘king of bling’, giving us a shimmering, gold encrusted, down and dirty Pharaoh with all the Vegas, hip-swirling, arched eyebrow allure of The King himself.
The other notable returnee is Linzi Hateley, who as Narrator is the story-telling thread that runs through the show. Ms Hateley oozes stage presence and quality; her easy rapport with the audience, crystal clear singing, slick movement and clever quick-change comedy characters make her a class act. Her vampish Mrs Potiphar is a little comedy gem that could have been culled from Cabaret.
The boy himself, Joseph, is yet another award winning returnee, Jac Yarrow. From the buff object of Mrs Potiphar’s feline attentions to the irresistibly hummable, ‘Any Dream Will Do’, and the iconic, ‘Joseph’s Coat’, Mr Yarrow is able to hold the stage with confidence and no small vocal talent.
The apparently timeless music is given the high gloss treatment in this latest iteration of the show, with bright and colourful set and costumes by Morgan Large. Laurence Connor directs without fuss, letting the musical numbers do the heavy lifting, whilst Joann M. Hunter’s choreography goes a long way to setting the style of the scenes, which leap around in time and space from ancient Egypt to American baseball and hillbilly country.
One of the great strengths of the show is that it is definitely in the ‘family entertainment’ camp and the chorus of child actors, all full of beans and budding talent, are a strong element in the show’s success.
★★★★☆ Graham Wyles 1st September 2022
Photo credit: Tristram Kenton
