Alexandra Burke and Jac Yarrow in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Opera House, Manchester and Touring. Picture: Tristram Kenton
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Opera House, Manchester and touring the UK until 29 October 2022.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
It would be easy to put the ecstatic way audiences and critics are receiving this revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s most crowd-pleasing show down to our collective joy at being able to fully enjoy live theatre again after the deprivations of the last few years.
But then Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has been delighting audiences since its first inception as a school production in 1968, and this current incarnation – which embarks on a UK tour after two short, Covid-delayed runs at the London Palladium in 2019 and 2021 – sees the show in possibly its finest fettle yet.
A lot of this is down to the pace and efficiency with which things run under the guidance of director Laurence Connor. As well as the catchiness of its songs, Joseph’s other great strength lies in the clarity of Rice’s lyrics, and a simplicity of storytelling that makes it the perfect show to introduce younger audiences to the delights of live theatre. The show has been tweaked and honed over the years, and Connor’s exuberant production – which puts the fun front and centre – is the perfect vehicle for its infectiously enjoyable charms.
Act I especially zips by with a buoyancy and fluidity that is hard to match, aided by Joann M Hunter’s brisk choreography and Morgan Large’s colourful, quick-changing set. Large’s backdrops start simply enough but build in complexity as the story progresses, reaching a peak in the Vegas-like flamboyance of the Pharaoh’s palace, complete with witty touches like the two monolithic lip-syncing, guitar-strumming statues that bookend the stage.
Much of its success is due to its seamlessly drilled ensemble, but a great deal of praise must also go to Alexandra Burke’s Narrator, an almost constant presence who not only does a lot of the heavy vocal lifting but also interacts warmly with the child actors and is responsible for much of the sunny positivity and joy that emanates from the stage.
Casting Jason Donovan as the Pharaoh adds a dose of nostalgic fun for audiences who remember his tenure in the title role during the 1990s. He throws himself into the Elvis-like excesses of ‘Song of the King’ – and its many reprises – and is an assured, welcome presence on stage, but vocally he is the weakest link in the show.
Fittingly then, the show’s best moments come from its current Joseph. Jac Yarrow – who, remarkably, made his professional debut at the Palladium in 2019 – remains its greatest find. Winningly charming and wholesome, without being bland, Yarrow’s performance gives audiences a plucky hero to root for, while rising to the emotional challenges when required. Nowhere is this more evident than in his rousing rendition of ‘Close Every Door’, which – lushly orchestrated by David Andrew Wilson building on John Cameron’s original arrangements – remains the show’s standout song.
Elsewhere, this revival leans into the comedy of the more playful ensemble numbers, which now come with an added injection of Horrible Histories-like devilry. The country and western inflections of ‘One More Angel in Heaven’ now descend into a full-on hoedown, while the marching band crescendo of ‘Go, Go, Go Joseph’ – complete with cheerleaders brightly attired in Large’s vibrant costumes – is even more riotous.
These more extended comic sections give the supporting cast more of an opportunity to shine, with Matt Gibson and Will Hawksworth especially standing out as brothers Reuben and Simeon respectively.
It all adds up to an infectiously enjoyable, unapologetically feel-good evening at the theatre. And – like the affection Jacob has for his favourite son – this production ensures that the soft spot audiences have for this show will continue for even more decades to come.
Chris Bartlett
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