“Strange as it seems, there's been a run of crazy dreams. And a man who can interpret could go far...could become a star” - and that, my friends, is the story of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in a nutshell.
One of the most biblically inaccurate musicals to be presented, yet Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has been delighting audiences up and down the UK for over a decade with its heart-warming story of the young teenager facing unimaginable hardships in life who finally ends up ruling a country.
This musical holds such a special place in my heart as it was the first I ever witnessed live on stage during the reign of Joe McElderry as Joseph, so to watch it again, this time with McElderry taking on the role of the majestic, yet egotistical Pharoah, was a real pinch me moment.
Adam Filipe shone in the lead role of Joseph as he commanded silence over the entire auditorium with his heart-wrenching rendition of Close Every Door, a musical classic.
Christina Bianco took on the role of Narrator plus multiple other characters and while I personally wasn't a fan of her style, you could certainly tell how talented she is.
Those Canaan Days seemed to be a favourite with the audience as laughs erupted around the stalls, with Will Haswell (Simeon) and Co. doing an outstanding job of the strangely French accented for one song brothers.
And of course, Joe McElderry absolutely bossed the stage as Pharoah – Filipe and McElderry were an outstanding duo that it was exciting to watch embody the characters on stage.
Pharoah's palace was an incredible set that really made the scene, with the stage lighting up in gold and Egyptian hieroglyphics – the set designers pulled out all the stops for that one.
However, I wish I could say that the entire performance was a five out of five stars, but unfortunately there were a few setbacks, the most notable being the use of children.
I am a big advocate for getting more young people onto stage, but only for the roles in which they belong. Having a child Potiphar, Butler, Baker, plus multiple of Joseph's brothers who are meant to be older than him gave the impression of an amateur performance as opposed to a well-known official UK Tour. While the choir of children did a superb job of adding shine to the songs they sang, those children who were given solos lowered the standard from professional. Inarticulate speaking, and a couple of the brothers were struggling to reach the low notes in Benjamin Calypso – not completely their fault because their voices haven't broken yet, but it was a serious fault for me from the production company to cast children in adults' roles.
Furthermore, moments of the show felt quite cheesy due to the 'jokes' incorporated such as dressing a little girl up as the goat and making her interrupt the song to declare 'dressing up they said' and march off stage – it simply added to the high school drama feel they created which was disappointing.
Many members of the cast delivered stellar performances, but I do think that overall the show was let down by losing the original vision for the story they wanted to tell and trying to commercialise it more.
Lastly, the scene involving Potiphar's wife was slightly juicier than I would have liked – Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote some brilliant lyrics that clearly told the story while still making it appropriate for children, however the actions on stage were rather more explicit.
Having said all of this I did still enjoy the show and would give it a three out of five stars, but for future tours it would be nice to see them revert back to the tried and tested method of accurate casting.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is at Bristol Hippodrome from 12th March 2025 - 22nd March 2025. You can purchase tickets for the shows here.
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