Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamcoatAdelphi Theatre, West End, Greater London
Synopsis
Dancing in the show requires all types of styles. This colourful retelling of the biblical story about Joseph, his uncanny abilities and his designer coat sings out to young and old alike with a score which is wall to wall hits - including Close Every Door and Any Dream Will Do. In this retelling of the Biblical story, Joseph is a handsome young man who is his father's favourite child, able to interpret dreams, and the bearer of an amazing coat. These facts lead Joseph's eleven brothers to become insatiably jealous. Thus, they sell Joseph into slavery to some passing Ishmaelites. After refusing the advances of his owner's wife, Joseph is sent to jail. Once in jail, he quickly becomes popular due to his ability to interpret dreams. The Pharaoh soon hears of Joseph's ability and appoints him to the post of Number Two man in Egypt. Years later, Joseph's now starving brothers arrive in Egypt and ask Joseph, whom they don't recognize, for assistance. Joseph, in turn, gives his brothers a scare, but eventually grants them all they desire, reveals his identity, and reunites the family.
Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor DreamcoatVenue: Adelphi TheatreWhere: West End Date Reviewed: 18 July 2007 WOS Rating:  Average Reader Rating: Reader Reviews: View and add to our user reviewsHalf-way through the first act on the first night, the revolve on the stage got stuck with a lot of coloured sheep on it. “Poor, poor Joseph, whad’ya gonna do?” That was the song at the time, and he couldn’t do anything, poor lamb. We got going, ten minutes later, with a cod lament for his death after being thrown in a snake-pit: “One More Angel in Heaven”. So the show, not Joseph, died for a bit, then all was fine and dandy. This was the revival of the camp-as-camels 1991 London Palladium version directed by the late lamented Steven Pimlott, brilliantly designed by Mark Thompson, beautifully choreographed by Anthony van Laast, featuring the winner of the Saturday night BBC television contest, Lee Mead from Southend-on-Sea, Essex. Lee's just the job. He has footballer thighs, curly black hair and a voice that never gives up even when he misses the melodic line at moments of stress. The mums will like him and other older women – I took a quick straw poll because I fell amongst them in the interval – find him sexy. Myself, I prefer the camel, but hey, “Any Dream Will Do”. The show looks so much better in the Adelphi than it did before, balancing the charm of the children’s chorus with the vaudeville excesses among the Pyramids and Egyptian café classes with a firmer control. The scale is more suited to the content, and Lee is less desperate to please than either Jason Donovan or (oh God, he was awful) Philip Schofield. How extraordinary the history of this show is, and how moving it was to see Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice take a bow (“I’ll just do a selection of early hits,” said Tim, crooking his leg a la Elvis). The 20-minute 1968 pop cantata became a 40-minute Young Vic cabaret, then an hour-long West End filler, then this; while remaining all along the favourite all-time Biblical school musical show, eclipsing Herbert Chappell’s The Daniel Jazz and even Benjamin Britten’s Noyes’ Fludde. It brims with witty musical invention and engagingly literate lyrics, now encompassing pop styles of calypso, country music, Parisian café songs and megamix disco sounds, drawing out a fantastic all-purpose finale from such still fresh items as the irresistible “Any Dream Will Do” and the sinuous “Close Every Door to Me”, which Joseph takes from a prison lament to Verdian heights of political, nationalistic fervour. Rice and Lloyd Webber have written a lovely new song, “King of My Heart”, for the Elvis-style Pharaoh (Dean Collinson), which stitches together many fine clichés while inventing some surprise melodic leaps. Preeya Kalidas, the star of Bombay Dreams, makes up in style and beauty as the Narrator what she lacks in vocal texture, while Stephen Tate, the original Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, is a notable Potiphar. Stunning costumes all round, too, and not just the coloured coat. - Michael Coveney | Score | Comment | Date |  | went to see the show wed was so dissapointed the worst i have ever seen. was more the local school produtions not a west end musical. there was no atmosphere set was lacking no narrators or acting just singing song after song.Also none of the usual merchindise programmes etc on sale before the show. To add to the disappointment lee meads did not apppear which was the reason for going after all the hype but we were not imformed when we bought the tickets a few hours before the show.
joseph was played by an unknown although he was ok the cast did not receive the usual encores.To add insult to injury the tickets were thirty five pounds alot of money for a poor show produced on a low budget. - Annette Turpin | 07 Nov 08 | | went to see the show wed was so dissapointed the worst i have ever seen. was more the local school produtions not a west end musical. there was no atmosphere set was lacking no narrators or acting just singing song after song.Also none of the usual merchindise programmes etc on sale before the show. To add to the disappointment lee meads did not apppear which was the reason for going after all the hype but we were not imformed when we bought the tickets a few hours before the show.
joseph was played by an unknown although he was ok the cast did not receive the usual encores.To add insult to injury the tickets were thirty five pounds alot of money for a poor show produced on a low budget. - Annette Turpin | 07 Nov 08 | | The show was ok although there wasn´t much of an atmosphere in the theatre. Lee Mead is good but I think he´s a bit tired after having played the same part for so long. The show was spoilt for us by a couple of staff members in red jackets coming in and out of the auditorium while speaking loudly, showing total disregard for the paying public. One of them, with Australian accent, was especially loud. Inexcusable behaviour. - Mel | 16 Sep 08 | | Extremely disappointing this time around. Swa it a year ago and although it looked cheap it was still great fun. I went las week on Tuesday and it was a different story. The show looks tired, Jenna Lee James is an improvement over the awful Preeya Kalidas but her outfit looked awful. Why did they dress her up as a Pigalle hooker when she's supposed to be a teacher. Nobody was put in much effort, but then again the theatre was half empty. I guess this is the sadness of reality tv, this show is yesterday's news and lee mead is now officially a 'has been'. - Kate | 05 Jul 08 | | This show is amazing. I'm shocked by some of the very poor comments on here. I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion. Lee is fantastic, his voice is very rich and he is an amazing actor, who has come such a way in a year. The audience were very appreciative of the whole cast, who worker extremely hard. In my opinion, Lee is much more than an average performer and he does sing LIVE each show, as you can tell as some shows I have seen have sounded significantly different (in a good way). Dean Collinson is a fantastic actor as well and he works with Lee brilliantly. FANTASTIC show! If you're looking for a fun, simple show (and simple is not meant as a criticism, it's just not a heavy piece) then go to Joseph!!! - CeeCee | 16 Jun 08 | | I wondered if I would have anything different to say about Joseph and the amazing Technicolor dreamcoat when I sat down to write my second review of the show at the Adlephi theatre on the evening of Saturday the 24th May 2008.
On this occasion we had seats in the central front row which I know adds something special to a performance but as Joseph had been so magical the first time I wondered if I would enjoy it as I had first time round.
Boy did I. In our vantage point, many of the facial expressions and props that had been missed first time round were more obvious and added so much to the performance.
Lee Mead, still looking gorgeous in his loin cloth, having been in the lead for almost a year now, continues to put his heart and soul into every performance and his passion for the part is striking. As he sings, the veins in his neck stand out with the force he gives each note. As he performs the heart rendering “Close Every Door” I found myself breathing heavily as the song reached its final notes, such is the emotion Lee puts into an already emotional song.
The children were enchanting, the dancers and brothers vibrant and energetic and Jenna Lee James in the role of narrator stunned me with her voice and stage presence. She sounded phenomenal, oozing sex appeal, at least judging by the reactions of the man sitting next to me when she bared her long legs in a short, sparkly dress!
We voted Lee Mead as our Joseph and he hasn’t let us down. The dream lives on for both him and us as he gives the performance of his life every time he is on stage. Long may dream coats be in fashion!
- Melissa Roberts | 10 Jun 08 | | some of these poor reviews amaze me! this show is fantastic. Lee is superb - you thought he was good on tv? You havent seen anything unless you see him for real. Dean collinson is just amazing - his humour is the best part of the show. Fiona is the best narrator that ive seen in this role, maybe they should have given her the role instead of jenna, who i feel overpowers the songs and makes it more about her than the show! Kids love it and so do the mums - the noise the audience make is a well deserved reaction to the cast. But please everyone, join in with the megamix at the end - it makes such a difference to the atmosphere and the total experience - taloolabelle | 03 Jun 08 | | some of these poor reviews amaze me! this show is fantastic. Lee is superb - you thought he was good on tv? You havent seen anything unless you see him for real. Dean collinson is just amazing - his humour is the best part of the show. Fiona is the best narrator that ive seen in this role, maybe they should have given her the role instead of jenna, who i feel overpowers the songs and makes it more about her than the show! Kids love it and so do the mums - the noise the audience make is a well deserved reaction to the cast. But please everyone, join in with the megamix at the end - it makes such a difference to the atmosphere and the total experience - taloola belle | 03 Jun 08 | | Disappointing!! cheap!! I went to see the show April 12th and I thought the production values were sloppy, tacky and cheap. Dancing was quite sloppy, enjoyed a lot of the songs but there is TOO MUCH MUSIC!! The whole show is sung!..what about having real drama and acting not just music! There were sloppy mistakes in the set/props, it was shallow/lacks substance, poor quality and not value for money!..esp as it lasted only 2 hrs including the interval - so glad I didn't buy expensive seats. Lee is v good, the narrator is v talented but her singing was sometimes badly pitched/annoying. Eek! This show is well over-hyped and Lloyd Webber now needs the BBC talent shows to give his productions publicity - on their own they would be closing much earlier I'm sure! People, please demand class and value for money from West End shows - you pay a lot for the tickets! - Gillian Morris | 21 Apr 08 | | I saw the show on Saturday night and I thought it was fantastic!! I thought the new narrator Jenna was great, she could really belt out a tune. Of course, the star of the show is Lee Mead and he was perfect as Joseph. His voice was beautiful - rich and strong. His acting was also really good and he looks mighty fine in a loincloth!! It was a fantastic evening and I thoroughly recommend this show!! - Alison, | 25 Mar 08 | | | Click here for more user reviews and to post your own |
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