Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
July 1, 2008
Date: 30 June 2008
Venue: Sunderland Empire Theatre
I have never once regretted choosing to watch Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway over Any Dream Will Do and I never thought I would’ve, after all musicals (and Graham Norton) really just don’t do it for me. However, after seeing Joseph tonight, I really wish I had suffered Norton and given it a look, as I would have loved to see just how much work, time and effort, Craig Chalmers put in to land the role of Joseph for the tour, which opened at the Sunderland Empire tonight.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat tells the story - through song – of Joseph and how his eleven other brothers are jealous of his coat, simply because they see it as a sign that their father favours Joseph. To get rid of him, the brothers sell Joseph as a slave to a group of passing Ishmaelites, who then take him to Egypt. Joseph is then imprisoned and is only freed after interpreting one of the Pharaoh’s dreams, who then passes vast amounts of wealth and riches onto Joseph in return for his services, as well as making him his number two in Egypt. Will Joseph use this new position for good, or as a force for revenge for those who have wronged him?
Before seeing Joseph, I have to admit I wasn’t that bothered. I only knew the story vaguely, but after such a fabulous show tonight, I’m pleased I have seen it, if only to silence all those that have told me (before I’d even seen it I hasten to add) that Craig Chalmers isn’t very good in the role. Well silence them I shall – I’m pleased to report he was fantastic and had the confidence that even some of the most weathered stage veterans lack.
He was charismatic, charming (it’s in his name after all), vibrant and looked completely at ease on stage, singing his heart out. He donned more costumes than the characters of Sex and The City (if you can believe it), which added to the illusion and to the visuals of a show that thrives on exciting backdrops and imaginative lighting. His singing was superb and he had no problem at all in delivering his, few, speaking lines with ease. He was very capable of hitting both high and low notes and his final song “Any Dream Will Do” to close the show was incredibly poignant, so much so, that I’m sure many of the audience around me had tears in their eyes.
As a musical, it was fantastic and its one hour and forty minute runtime flew over very quickly, although I would say the second Act is definitely better than the first – on account of the fact that the songs in Act II are so much more light-hearted and fun than those in Act I.
Tara Bethan (from TVs I’d Do Anything) was truly magnificent as the Narrator and at times her vocals were that brilliant that I thought she sounded like a young Whitney Houston. Her best song in the show has to be “Close Every Door.” She really entertained and was truly deserving of the standing ovation she received from the audience at the end of the show. She took it modestly and at times seemed slightly embarrassed by such a warm show of attention and praise from a very happy audience.
The only downside of an otherwise great show was the fact that I thought Antony Hansen did not hit the mark as the Pharaoh. His speaking lines were great, but his singing was lacklustre and at times he was difficult to hear over the accompanying backing music, he even appeared a little disinterested at times. On the note of backing music, the Joseph Choir were excellent.
Finishing with the entire cast singing “Joseph Megamix” was an inspired idea and had pretty much all of the audience up clapping and singing along, which really added that extra special touch to a performance that is filled with loads of reasons to go and see it.
And see it you should. If you like a performance that is filled with great, eccentric characters, great lines and even greater music and a talented cast that have you leaving with a massive smile on your face, then Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is definitely for you.
Reviewed by Chris Conway
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