Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – Curve Leicester and Touring

Adam Filipe, Joe McElderry and Christina Bianco (see below) in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Curve Leicester and Touring. Pictures: Tristram Kenton

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was reviewed at Curve Leicester. The tour continues until 10 August 2025.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

It’s hard to believe that a simple 15-minute musical composition for a school concert would become a global hit, and still be playing to devoted audiences over half a century later, but that’s exactly what happened with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Created by legendary duo Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice when they were aged just 17 and 20 years old, the musical underwent huge reworkings from its inception in 1968 to its official opening in 1973. Based on stories from the book of Genesis, the show has been famously led by Jason Donovan, Phillip Schofield, Donny Osmond and Lee Mead, and many fans all over the world know the 29 colours of that infamous dreamcoat by heart. The musical has seen recent success in London with runs at the Palladium, and that production has been touring the UK since late last year, playing this week at Curve Leicester.

Surprisingly dark at times for a show squarely aimed at children, the Narrator (played by Christina Bianco) tells the story of Joseph (Adam Filipe), ousted by his brothers after receiving a multicoloured coat as a gift and seen as their father Jacob’s favourite son. The show follows Joseph as he’s banished, sold into slavery and imprisoned, eventually finding his way again through his deciphering of dreams and becoming valuable to the Pharaoh of Egypt (Joe McElderry).

The songs are lyrically heavy and much will go over younger audience members’ heads, but where Joseph excels is in its visuals and its music. Children won’t care that Joseph avoids execution by predicting seven years of thriving crops followed by seven years of famine, they’re too busy being dazzled by the array of colour on the stage and bouncing around to the songs, and therein lies its strength. It’s a great introduction to theatre for youngsters, as a source of energetic colour and vibrant energy.

It’s fair to say much of Joseph’s success lies in nostalgia for its audiences; people who grew up with the show end up taking their children, who then take their children, and in that vein it remains eternally young and timeless, even musically; Lloyd Webber may have been still honing his craft when the show was created, but even this early musical shows his canny ear for a memorable melody, and the score still sounds great in its mid-fifties.

Succinctly directed by Laurence Connor, Joseph nips along at an efficient pace, never letting the audience get bored or making them wait too long for the next memorable song.  Morgan Large’s costumes and sets look great; with every colour under the sun being seen on that stage at some point it’s a feast for the eyes, particularly the Vegas-inspired depiction of Egypt in Act II. The scene with Joseph’s imprisonment also impresses, where Ben Cracknell’s lighting design is stunning and makes ‘Close Every Door’ even more powerful.

The production is led by a strong cast which really does sell the material. Filipe impresses in the title role, massively likeable with a fantastic voice (his rendition of ‘Close Every Door’ is exceptional), and he deserves to secure numerous leading roles in the near future. McElderry is also great as the Pharoah, channelling the Elvis persona needed for the role and throwing himself into the absurdity of the character with great energy.

But it’s Bianco’s Narrator who steals this show, so much so that it should really be called ‘Christina’. Anyone familiar with the American singer, actress and impressionist’s astonishing vocal range and repertoire already knows how good she is, after all this is a woman who can sing like Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Julie Andrews and countless others. But she’s just as wonderful as herself, belting this score in her own remarkable voice and performing the role with such warmth and charm that it’s arguably the best Narrator turn we’ve seen in recent years.

While it’s not the best musical ever written, Joseph continues to entertain with a winning combination of a likeable score and (techni)colourful spectacle. As the finale megamix kicks off and you see children dancing in their seats while the bright colours dance over their smiling faces, you realise why it works, especially with star turns from Bianco and Filipe. For many people it’s the first show they ever saw, inspiring them to see more, which looks set to remains its legacy and help bring new audiences to theatres for years to come.

Rob Bartley