Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat runs at the Assembly Hall Theatre Tunbridge Wells until Saturday 8th November and then continues on it’s tour around the country.
I last saw Joseph and his amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat in the West End with Lee Mead who gained the role of Joseph by winning TV’s Any Dream will Do competition. Before that I saw it in Hong Kong narrated by the fantastic Linzi Hately (I’m a big fan). Even before that I had seen it countless time on tour in the 80s and 90s.
So why do I keep going back when there is always many new shows to see? Why was I so excited to see it last night on it’s opening night in Tunbridge Wells? Why was I ridiculously excited when I realised that my teenage daughter hadn’t yet seen it live and this was an ideal opportunity to take her?
Because it never loses it’s magic, that’s why. It marks Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s first collaboration to be publicly performed in the late 1960s. Since then they have of course written some incredibly powerful and theatrical pieces, but for me Joseph remains magical – if somewhat cheesy.
The power of course is in the music. I would say everyone can sing or hum along to at least one of the songs in the show, if not the entire show from beginning to end. The music is utterly timeless, and if you are like me and love watching things live then there is nothing finer.
Joseph has almost a pantomime feel to it, humour, visual, colourful (that’s not just his coat) so it is hardly surprising that this is a show for all ages.
Two of the three 3 leads kickstarted their careers as in TV ‘find a star’ shows which made me a little wary but I needed have worried. Lloyd Daniels (X factor, finalist) was a worthy Joseph and made a good impression in his first musical theatre role. Matt Lapinskas (Eastenders) was hilarious as the Pharoah and I was pleasantly surprised with his rendition of the new Pharoah’s song ‘King of my Heart’. I was unconvinced about it when it was added in the 2007 production, but after last night I am definitely warming to it.
The poppet though is Danielle Hope, she is slowly working her way through my list of ‘roles I would like to play if I had an ounce of talent’. She played Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium, Eponine in Les Miserables and now the Narrator in Joseph. She suits this role very well and brings warmth and geniality to the production.
The show Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat is nearly 45 years old now. Yes it is over-done, hammy and generally corny… but…we all continue to love it. I love the familiarity of it and I shall keep going back for more. It’s like an old family friend.
I challenge you, I deliberately haven’t mentioned any of the original Joseph’s songs in this blog up until now. But as you read, one is stuck in your head isn’t it? You only need to mention ‘Joseph’ and the tunes keep coming. Which one is it? Let me know….
Close every door?
Go go go Joseph?
Those Canaan Days?
Any dream will do?
For me it is always one line – ‘strange as it seems, there’s been a run of crazy dreams, and a man who can interpret could go far – could become a star!’
And who can sing the full list of colours???
Cast
Lloyd Daniels Joseph
Danielle Hope Narrator
Matt Lapinskas Pharaoh
Henry Metcalfe Jacob
Benjamin Pomeroy Benjamin
Andrew Bateup Butler
Richard J Hunt Baker
Shaun McCourt Brother (and Joseph understudy)
Perry O’Dea Brother (and Pharaoh understudy)
Michael Ward Brother
Marcus Ayton Brother
Jamine Jukes Brother
Benjamin Beechey Brother
Craig Golding Brother
Camilla Rowland Mrs Potiphar
Rebekah Lowings Handmaiden (and Narrator understudy)
Danielle Acors Handmaiden
Craig Creelman Swing
Creatives
Musical Supervisor Tom de Keyser
Sound Designer Dan Samson
Dates and times at the Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells.
Dates and Times
Tue 4 – Sat 8 Nov
Evenings: Tue-Thu at 7.30pm, Fri-Sat at 8pm
Matinees: Wed-Thu 2.30pm, Fri 5pm, Sat 2pm and 5pm
Ticket Prices
Opening night: £18 All
Wed-Thu evenings: £25.50, £22.50, £15.50RV
Wed-Fri matinees: £22.50, £20.50, £15.50RV
Fri 8pm and Sat all: £29.50, £26.50, £19.50RV
| Official UK Tour 2014-2015 | |||
| 7 – 12 Oct | Sands Theatre -Carlise | 01228 633766 | Book online |
| 14 – 18 Oct | Empire Theatre – Liverpool | 08706 063 536 | Book online |
| 21 – 25 Oct | Palace Theatre – Manchester | 0161 245 6600 | Book online |
| 28 Oct – 1 Nov | Theatre Royal – Norwich | 01603 630000 | Book online |
| 4 – 8 Nov | Assembly Hall Theatre – Tunbridge Wells | 01892 530613 | Book online |
| 11 – 15 Nov | Clwyd Theatr Cymru – Mold | 0845 330 35 65 | Book online |
| 18 – 22 Nov | Darlington Civic -Darlington | 01325 486555 | Book online |
| 25 – 29 Nov | Swan – High Wycombe | 01494 512 000 | Book online |
| 4 – 8 Feb 2015 | Everyman Theatre -Cheltenham | 01242 572 573 | Book online |
| 10 – 14 Feb 2015 | Watford Colosseum – Watford | 01923 225671 | Book online |
| 17 – 21 Feb 2015 | Playhouse Theatre – Edinburgh | 0844 871 7627 | Book online |
| 24 – 28 Feb 2015 | Southport Theatre – Southport | 01704 500036 | Book online |
| 3 – 7 Mar 2015 | Lyceum Theatre – Crewe | 01270 368 242 | Book online |
| 10 – 15 Mar 2015 | The Dome – Doncaster | 01302 370777 | Book online |
| 17 – 21 Mar 2015 | The Spa – Bridlington | 01262 401 400 | Book online |
| 24 – 29 Mar 2015 | Theatre Royal – Bath | 01225 448 844 | Book online |
| 31 Mar – 4 Apr 2015 | Waterside Theatre -Aylesbury | 0844 8717615 | Book online |
| 7 – 11 Apr 2015 | Theatre Royal – Plymouth | 01752 267222 | Book online |
| 14 – 19 Apr 2015 | Winding Wheel- Chesterfield | 01246 345 222 | Book online |
| 21 – 25 Apr 2015 | Belgrade Theatre – Coventry | 024 7655 3055 | Book online |
| 28 Apr – 2 May 2015 | Woodville Theatre – Gravesend | 01474 337774 | Book online |
| 19 – 23 May 2015 | Swindon Theatre – Swindon | 01793 524 481 | Book online |
| 26 – 30 May 2015 | De Montfort Hall – Leicester | 0116 242 3595 | Book online |