Edinburgh Playhouse- until 23 March 19
Reviewed by Manetta McIntosh
4****
Three words – A. May. Zing.
This was indeed a spectacular, colourful extravaganza. I had never seen the complete production of Joseph before, I knew most of the songs from school, I have seen the popular snippets when being promoted on the television etc, but this was an absolute treat.
This is a bible story as you have never heard before. Yes, it is the story of Joseph, who was the youngest and favourite son of Jacob. He was clearly a spoilt and slightly pretentious child, who would annoy his brothers with his dream interpretations and his gifts from his father. One day the brothers decide to sell him to slave traders and pretend he was killed in a tragic accident…as you do. The story goes on to show how Joseph rose from the cells of Egypt to become the wealthy right-hand man of the Pharaoh. He is eventually re-united with his family, when they travel to Egypt to throw themselves at his mercy following a long famine.
The production opens with a musical introduction, it does seem to last for quite a while. In child terms it must have seemed like an eternity, as the child behind me became restless and started wanting snacks, to which his mother responded ‘ye shud have eaten yer nuggets then’.
The staging was ingenious, a reasonably simple set up but had the feeling of a big budget production. There were clever little tricks, with sheep that appeared as though someone had set off an air bag, they made the show for me as they did not inflate properly, this led to a few well-timed kicks from the passing performers to try and activate them and several chuckles from the audience.
As this was my first time, I had not realised that the songs are performed in different genre’s, we have Country, French café, American jazz…I felt as if there was a song style from every Lloyd-Webber musical incorporated into the performance. Elvis was a special kind of surprise.
Jaymi Hensley (Joseph) plays the lead role, to be honest I was a bit disappointed when I heard this as the role has been played by such big names previously (I’m over 20 so he wasn’t a big name to me!!)…however, Jaymi fills that rainbow coloured coat perfectly. That lad has an amazing voice to go with his amazing dreamcoat.
Tina Hill was the narrator and was on stage all the way through to ensure any blanks were filled in, again, another powerful singer. The brothers provided well timed comedy interludes, they all put in notable performances. None of them faded into the background as might be the worry with 11 performers, their voices complimented each other beautifully, gifting us with delightful harmonies. Andrew Geater who plays Pharaoh (who dressed remarkably like Elvis) sounded very like ‘The King’, it was a bit muffled at times, but that turned out to be part of the act.
The school choir were fantastic, it brought me back to my school days and showed what an inclusive production this is. The performance ends with a re-cap of the songs from the show and a chance for the audience to become more involved, being encouraged to clap and sing-along. This is a musical that everyone should experience, I hope it continues to be so popular for years to come.