This show is two hours of unashamedly populist entertainment in a reworked format of the Joseph musical in which some of the TV stars from the Any Dream Will Do talent competition perform comfortably. Country and Western steps feature in many of the dance numbers and cheerleader moves take some of the choreography into the 21st century. Some of the scenes are boldly kitsch, with a walking talking cartoon camel and inflatable sheep grazing in the background. The style of Bill Kenwright’s production keeps the full house (of children and older patrons revisiting the musical) all suitably entertained. Such is the enduring popularity of Lloyd-Webber’s music, primary school groups sing the overture back to the orchestra word perfect.
The mega mix at the finale pops a punchy rap energy that rewards the younger folk for following this biblical story of sibling rivalry turned nasty. The fortunes of poor Joseph are enthusiastically followed. The only time the stage is not alive with flashing lights, fireworks and smoke is when a starkly-lit Joseph is locked in his prison cell after being sold as a slave by his jealous brothers. They celebrate with: ‘We’ve seen the back of brother Jo so let’s join hands and doh-see-doh’.
Holding an ultimately simple story for two hours is the responsibility of Narrator, Tara Bethan (finalist in the TV search for Nancy in Oliver). Like the many familiar faces on stage from TV talent shows, Bethan fills this cavernous auditorium with a big sound. It is perhaps surprising that performers who won their role through performing on the small screen sing so well live.
Joseph is played by the tall and tanned Craig Chalmers, who manages to look terrific in an epic multi-coloured coat that could double as a parachute. The show has a few saucy moments with Mrs Potiphar’s long legs vamping it up in a red sequinned number succeeding in getting Joseph in all sorts of trouble. As berets are raised to those Canaan days some hot adagio steps are executed in high heels and mini skirts by the enthusiastic energetic dancers who freestyle some impressive moves. Pharaoh walking down the stairs with Vegas Elvis panache is a true bobby dazzler and the rendition of King of My Heart is literal. The über fans stand with posters, badges and sheer enthusiasm for this dream of a show.
lita doolan, 07/06/08
My partner and I bought a cheap day return from Kent to see Joseph as my granddaughter was in the children's choir. We arrived in teeming rain. Having seen Joseph twice before - in London and an amateur performance by a girls' school - I was not dying to see it again, although I love the music. But I was in for a pleasant surprise. We enjoyed our wet day out, sitting amongst the school parties and an Age Concern outing - it looked like everyone had a good time. Tara was great, Craig was popular with the audience and Antony was very entertaining. We thought the children's choir was wonderful, and very professional. And special thanks to the chaperone who kindly let us have a few words with my granddaughter before we returned home.
Rosawill, 04/06/08
Many years ago I saw Joseph on the London stage and loved the songs but was disappointed by the sheer busy-ness of the production, so I was curious to see if this new production was simpler and more accessible. In many ways it was - especially the second half. The first half felt messy to me: the impressive stairs on each side take up a lot of the stage and limit the dance floor. The choreography however was a bit slack, giving the impression that exuberance had been allowed to be a substitute for timing. The songs, too, seemed to have a samey-ness about them. The second half, however, was slick, funny and contained a lot more contrast. The strength of the musical, in my view, is the references to a variety of musical styles – a cowboy song, a Maurice Chevalier tune, an Elvis number, a calypso, etc. These should be funny and very obvious, and in the second half they were.
I don’t spend my Saturday evenings watching wannabe stars being eliminated one by one. If I had, apparently I would have recognised Tara Bethan: the Narrator (a 'Maria' wannabe); Anthony Hansen: Pharaoh (one of the last 12 Joseph wannabes for the London show) and Craig Chalmers: Joseph (one of the last 5 Joseph wannabes). The Narrator is a very important part - she's the glue that holds the story together - and Tara rose to the challenge. She can belt out a number or sing quietly with equal conviction and her voice is clear and beautiful. Craig, apart from a couple of nasal vowels, has a charming, well-modulated voice and great stage presence. He too came into his own in the second half, where he was funny, serious and even moving. Opinions varied about our local boy, Antony Hansen, but I thought he made a terrific Elvis - sorry, I mean Pharaoh - with the voice and the movements of the King down to a T. Altogether the singing after the interval was more interesting, funnier, more varied and I thought the stage was better used too. Let us not forget the children’s choir: they sat quietly on the stairs throughout the performance and when they sang they sang tunefully and with gusto. Bravo.
The enthusiasm of everyone – musicians, handmaidens, brothers as well as the main parts cannot be faulted. If this enthusiasm could be polished in the first part of the performance then this would be a truly great musical.
Kathryn McNicoll, 03/06/08
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