Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
Technicolour in name, Technicolour in person.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat is what is promises to be, an assault on all the sense. It’s an all singing, all dancing colourful extravaganza that will have you desperate for some black and white simplicty.
Joseph was the first musical written by dynamic theatre duo Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. It was originally intended for a school audience and it shows. This is a show that shouldn’t be taken too seriously (Les Mis it ain’t). The story is a fanciful retelling of the story of Joseph from Genesis in the Bible. It follows him as he gains the beautiful Technicolour coat from his father, Jacob, making his other 11 brothers angry. We follow Joseph’s journey as he’s sold into slavery into Egypt, thrown in jail and eventually rises to the top because of his knack for interpreting dreams; including those of the Pharaoh where Joseph tells Pharaoh that he’ll have years of famine and to prepare as such. The story ends with the touching reunion between Joseph and his brothers in Egypt.
Throughout the show the plot is driven along through Lloyd Webber and Rice’s captivating, if not simplistic, score with elements of catchy showtunes, heart-warming ballads and songs in a range of musical styles including Elvis, French, Country and Calypso all performed by a hyper-energetic cast.
This is a show that doesn’t take itself too seriously and as an audience you need to have that same attitude in order to enjoy the show. The first act rockets along at breakneck pace, with enthusiasm and colour galore. So much so that by the time we come to Close Every Door you’re almost grateful for Joseph’s imprisonment just to give you a moment of quiet respite and a chance to breath. The second act doesn’t let up either as we’re plunged into a Vegas-esque, Elvis style Egypt and before you know it the brothers have been reunited and live happily ever after.
The production doesn’t take itself too seriously either and strike the right tone for a show such as this. The costuming is colourful and aware of its artifice (stick on beards and towels on head included) and gives a knowing nod to the countless school productions of this show. The set is similarly deceptively simple, meaning that big moments, like the Act 1 finale of Go, Go, Go Joseph, really pop when you see the full lights and sound of the production. Performances are directed in an almost pantomime style, again never taking itself too seriously. The inclusion of children, often playing adult characters, adds to the frivolity of the show and once again harkens back to the show’s schoolyard roots.
The storyline is driven by the Narrator, played by Paulini. She gives an effortless and captivating performance, seamlessly driving the story along with soaring vocals and interesting characterisation. At this performance, Joseph was played by understudy Jackson Head, the regular Euan Fistrovic Doidge being out. Head was outstanding as the lead with confident vocal and an endearing personality that drew you into the character. Trevor Ashley played the Elvis-like Pharaoh. For someone who is so good at impersonations and characterisation, Ashley failed to connect as Pharaoh with most of his lines lost and very little characterisation evident. He was the only disappointing link in an otherwise excellent cast.
This is a show that knows it’s not high art and doesn’t every strive to be anything more than what it is, a fun and frivolous good time. For audiences it’s the same. You’re never going to get profound performances or deep insights into the human psyche. But if you want a fun time in the theatre with catchy songs and colourful performances then Joseph isn’t to be missed.
