Culture Theatre

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at London Palladium

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at London Palladium | Theatre review

Andrew Lloyd Weber’s classic is back in town and brimming with exuberance. The Bible meets Las Vegas in this lavish musical revival of the multi-award-winning Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – on at the legendary London Palladium – which fully lives up to its reputation as a spectacular show. Overflowing with well-known numbers like One More Angel in Heaven, Any Dream Will Do and Go, Go, Go Joseph, the production is joyful fun for children as well as adults.

Told purely through song, with the accompaniment of narration (Sheridan Smith), the piece is a biblical story about Joseph (Jac Yarrow), favourite son of Jacob, who is sold into slavery by his 11 brothers. Forging a friendship with Egyptian aristocrat Potiphar, he is imprisoned after rejecting the amorous overtures of the noble’s spouse. It is in jail that Joseph discovers his gift for dream interpretation, attracting the interest of the Pharaoh (Jason Donovan), who takes him under his wing, recruiting him to help end the famine in Egypt.

Director Laurence Connor has created a distinctly rock & roll version of Weber’s work – a performance that explodes with dynamism, colour and ecstatic energy, with outstanding music, costumes and stage design to match the zestful ambience. As narrator, the engaging and hilarious Oliver Award-winning Smith infuses the piece with spirited cheekiness. Donovan – famous for having played the starring role of the young protagonist in previous runs – is terrific as an ageing Elvis-type Pharaoh, and the talented Yarrow shines in his debut as Joseph.

The musical, a dynamic and full-throttle exemplar of the Broadway genre, is not subtle, but it has a refreshing American-style naiveté, completely devoid of any affectation, even laughing at itself. Superbly presented, uplifting and heart-warming, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is massively entertaining, exhilarating and just pure fun.

Catherine Sedgwick
Photo: Tristram Kenton

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat is at London Palladium from 12th July until 8th September 2019. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

 

More in Theatre

Every Brilliant Thing at Soho Place

Cristiana Ferrauti

Seagull: True Story at Marylebone Theatre

Jim Compton-Hall

Swag Age in Concert at Gillian Lynne Theatre

James Humphrey

“I’m able to speak and direct from a place of absolute and utter truth”: Sideeq Heard on Fat Ham at Swan Theatre

Cristiana Ferrauti

Storehouse at Deptford Storehouse

Benedetta Mancusi

The Switchboard Project at Hope Theatre

Thomas Messner

We Should Have Never Walked on the Moon at Southbank Centre

Ronan Fawsitt

Deaf Republic at the Royal Court Theatre

Jim Compton-Hall

Born with Teeth at Wyndham’s Theatre

Emilia Gould