JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT.

JOSPEH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT
Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber

New London Theatre
Mon-Fri 7:30pm Mat Wed 2.30pm Sat 2pm,5pm,8pm

TICKETS: 0870 890 0141
www.rutheatres.com
Review: Emma Dunfoird 4 March 2003

Stephen Gately rides on the back of a talented cast, but they pull off a showstopper – one for kids and adults alike.
It's a bold move to bring Joseph back to the West End stage – will it be as impressive as last time it was here, in the early 90s, and will an ex member of Boyzone be as lucrative a crowd-puller as Jason Donovan and Philip Schofield were back then?

Yes and yes – I was not disappointed. And having gone on a night that experienced major technical difficulties, only witnessing about one third of the special effects that are usually set to wow (so we were told in the interval), this is even more to the show’s credit.

When Stephen Gately opened his mouth to sing Any Dream Will Do, however, my heart did sink quite rapidly. Whether or not it was his nerves kicking in, his opening delivery was a little shaky and less than forceful.

But apart from a few minor volume issues he very quickly warmed up to give a performance both full of life and satisfyingly tuneful. Shuffling around on his prison cell floor he even manages to achieve the evocative chill factor that makes Close Every Door to Me so poignant.

But Gately does ride on the back of a talented cast - from the captivating timbre of Vivienne Carlyle’s voice as the narrator to the well-balanced muscle of the eleven brothers. Trevor Jary's Pharaoh has the most sex appeal of the evening, swinging his hips and warbling his baritone with a thrust that would make Elvis proud.

A few shifts between scenes could benefit from a little more fluidity and, dynamic ending or otherwise, performing the finale four times may be just a little excessive. But with the stanchion of inflatable sheep, fire eaters and sphinxes, as well as the advantage of singing one of Lloyd Webber and Rice’s most memorable scores, the new cast of Joseph do pull off a show stopper – one for kids and adults alike.

Joseph: Stephen Gately
Narrator: Vivienne Carlyle
Jacob/Potiphar: Janes Head
Pharaoh/Simeon: Trevor Jary
Mrs Potiphar: Kay Murphy
Butler: Ben Harlow
Baker: Russel Hicken
Reuben: Philip Burrows
Issachar: Shaun Dalton
Levi: Lee Waterworth
Napthali: Russell Hicken
Asher: John Melvin
Dan: Ben Harlow
Zebulun: Brian Graves
Gad: Jez Unwin
Judah: John Moeketsi-Moabi
Benjamin: John Marques
Handmaidens: Carla Collins, Hayley Reed, Djalenga Scott

Director: Bill Kenwright
Production Musical Director: David Steadman
Choreographer/associate Director: Henry Metcalfe
Designer: Sean Cavanagh
Lighting Designer: Nick Richings

2003-03-11 05:56:10