Before I begin, amazing, amazing, amazing, did I say amazing? Not only is the Technicolor dreamcoat amazing, so is the show.
A narrator (Christina Bianco) opens the show with eight children, telling them a story. This introduces Joseph (Adam Filipe) singing "Any Dream Will Do”, followed by the eleven brothers and their wives. Consumed with envy that Joseph is their father’s favourite and given an amazing coat, the brothers say Joseph is dead, with his brother Reuben (Hugh Cotton) and ensemble singing “One More Angel in Heaven”.
Bianco opens the second act with news that the Egypt has been plagued by dreams that no one can interpret; enter Joseph with his skill of deciphering dreams. This musical, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, is based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis, a well-known story of Joseph, the favourite of father Jacob’s twelve sons, he loses everything at the hands of his eleven brothers. He is imprisoned in a foreign country, then becomes a trusted adviser and dream interpreter to Pharaoh (Joe McElderry) and is eventually reunited with those who took away his wealth and power in the first place.
From the opening scene, the lighting design (Ben Cracknell) and effects are stunning; the colourful costumes (Morgan Large) clearly contribute, capturing the mood of each scene and shown well to effect in the clever choreography (Joann M Hunter) and dance arrangements (Sam Davis). The simple but effective set (Morgan Large) is expertly used by director Laurence Connor. Although the set may look simple, it is ingeniously designed to appear so.
While one may say the set overall looked simple, the first view of the Pharaoh was anything but: a truly magnificent, majestic, opulent golden set, a worthy entrance for any king or pharaoh and befitting McElderry, who, like the set, does not disappoint, holding the audience captive. The children involved are also captivating, giving a very solid contribution to the show. The almost life-sized camel puppet chariots (Charlie Tymms) are also delightfully charming.
Sand dancer McElderry, who has not stopped working since winning The X Factor in 2009, just finished a seven-week run in Harrison's marvellous pantomime The Little Mermaid on Sunday; he last appeared in the show as Joseph. Filipe has also not stopped working since graduating in 2018, showing his excellent dancing skills and tenor voice; he gives a wonderful rendition of “Close Every Door” in the second half. The whole story is beautifully carried forward by Bianco in her storytelling and strong singing; all are well supported by a strong singing company.
Michael Harrison does it again, producing yet another amazing show. Big, bright, bold, boisterous, no holds barred here. Audiences often stand at the end of a great show, but I cannot remember when the whole packed theatre stood and joined in the final number with the entire company, and what a final number, amazing! Do not worry if you miss it this week; it is at Newcastle Theatre Royal early June during its national tour. Do go if you want to experience the feel-good factor this show has.