Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat tells the Biblical story of Jacob and his favourite son, Joseph. Jacob gifts Joseph a coat of many colours and Joseph’s brothers become jealous and sell Joseph into slavery. However, Joseph can interpret dreams and word of his talent reaches the Pharaoh who upon seeing Joseph’s talent makes Joseph his deputy. Joseph’s brothers come begging to Joseph for food; realising they don’t recognise him Joseph tests them and upon seeing they have truly changed he reveals his identity. Joseph is reunited with his father and Joseph’s coat of many colours is returned to him.
I had never seen the musical of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and I was blown away by this production. A hugely vibrant and joyful show which managed to perfectly balance the fun upbeat nature of the Elvis inspired Pharaoh with the emotional moments of a story that means so much to so many.
I found myself, unusually, enjoying the second act more than the first. Generally, musicals are long and the middle of act two can become stagnant or sluggish but Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat does not suffer from this problem. It has a shorter run time than other musicals, which other shows could learn from, and uses the time it has to maximum advantage. Nothing is unnecessary, everything adds to the character and story.
Adam Filipe as Joseph was extraordinary and it has been a long time since I have heard an audience fall so silent for a song. When Filipe sang ‘Close Every Door’ it was so beautiful that no one wanted to miss a note.
When I leave a performance and before I write my review, I always check on social media in case I missed any cast changes and there was a cast change at the show I saw. But you would never have known it. The perfect Swing, the name for those who understudy many different parts in a show, is unknown to the audience. In fact, I didn’t know until later in the day when I checked that any Swings were on. I had the chance to see Aaron Archer one of the Swings on stage. I’m unsure which part (or track) he was covering but I just wanted to express how amazing Swings are as this was just one part of many that he covers.
Donny Osmond as the Pharaoh was excellent allowing the audience to show their excitement but controlling the situation so it didn’t get out of hand. This allowed the song to be heard and understood by audience members like me who had never seen the show before whilst at the same time allowing his fans to show their appreciation.
The sets were gorgeous perfectly showing the contrast between Joseph’s home and the wealth of the Pharaoh. The costumes were beautiful with vibrant colours and really elevated all the actors, including, importantly, subtly indicating major characters in the musical.
Overall, this was an excellent show with beautiful costumes and sets and a magnificent cast. What a wonderful thing for this cast and creative team to be able to bring such joy and happiness to people at Christmas.
*Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Is currently touring the UK and you can buy tickets here: https://uk.josephthemusical.com/tickets
*This site is not affiliated with ATG, the tickets to the performance were not gifted and this review is not sponsored in any way.
Performance:
Saturday 7th December 2024
14:30
Edinburgh Playhouse
Photography by: Tristram Kenton
Cast at this performance:
| Pharaoh | Donny Osmond |
| Narrator | Christina Bianco |
| Joseph | Adam Filipe |
| Swing | Aaron Archer |
| Tailor/Cook | Bella Baldock |
| Levi | Daniel Bowskill |
| Reuben’s Wife | Imogen Bowtell |
| Dan’s Wife | Taylor Bridges |
| Issachar | Joseph Browlie-Johnson |
| Reuben | Hugh Cotton |
| Asher | Joseph Craig |
| Napthali | Davide Fienauri |
| Levi’s Wife/Child Cover | Ellie Greenway |
| Simeon | Will Haswell |
| Swing | Oliver Hawes |
| Asher’s Wife | Kiera Haynes |
| Simeon’s Wife | Siobhan James |
| Guard | Ben Lancaster |
| Swing | Nichole Lupino |
| Swing | Bradley Perret |
| Dan | Harvey Shulver |
| Naphtali’s Wife | Jessica Sutton |
| Issachar’s Wife | Charley Warburton |
| Swing | Jenna Warne |
| Guard | Alex Woodward |
Young Acting Company
| Luke Beggs | Sofija Bele | Rio Blake-Power |
| Sidney Bond | Chloe Boyle | Coco Chapman |
| Isabelle Chiara Dawodu | Charlie Cox | Max Crisp |
| Shae-Marie David | Josh Desai | Erin Donovan |
| Jasper Eglin | Safia Francis | Ernest Fransella |
| Marisia Georgiannaki | Poppy Graham | Coco-Lili Hodder |
| Leia O’Sullivan | Poppy Kunorubwe | Elliott Marsden |
| Alex Neophytou | Shyanne Ononiwu | Zachary Richardson |
| Daniel Rodriguez Castillo | Felix Schmitt | Dexter Seaton |
| Azalea-Belle Sharp | Arthur Tennant | Raine Williamson |
WW Reviews 
Leave a comment