Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat @ Edinburgh Playhouse
The new revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Joseph is an exciting, energetic blast of colour, dance and action
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat had its professional premiere as a 35-minute musical at the Edinburgh International Festival in 1972. Since then, the show – with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber – has grown and flourished, with several major revivals and national tours under its belt. Over the years a queue of famous faces have lined up to don Joseph’s colourful coat from Phillip Schofield to Gareth Gates to Jason Donovan.
Directed by Bill Kenwright and with additional new choreography by Gary Lloyd, this 2019 revival sees Union J star Jaymi Hensley take the reins as Joseph and breathe new life, energy and passion into this fast-paced production.
The story, guided throughout by the narrator (Trina Hill), is taken from the Book of Genesis and tells the tale of Joseph and his eleven brothers. The eleven brothers know that Joseph is their father Jacob’s favourite and are green with jealousy. When Jacob makes Joseph a special colourful coat, the brothers finally snap and take matters into their own hands, selling Joseph as a slave, and pretending to their father that he is dead. When Joseph ends up in prison in Egypt, all seems lost, until a dream or two sets him free.
Despite this production being Hensley’s first ever major musical role, he excels, armed with impressive vocal skills, confidence and magnetic stage presence. There's an injection of colour, pizzazz and humour through the choreography of the talented cast of brothers (the Skinny raises its beret to you both, Henry Metcalfe and Gary Lloyd). Their comical cowboy-style rendition of One More Angel in Heaven in particular steals the limelight, but numerous other moments raise laughs. On stage the Joseph Choir provided by ESMS Junior School are gifted, and add to the sense of an enchanting story unravelling before us.
Undeniably, the infectious and enduring nature of this musical is down to the memorable songs, from Go, Go, Go, Joseph to Any Dream Will Do, but it's also just a visual treat. Picture a kaleidoscope on stage – an exciting, energetic blast of colour, dance and action.
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