We’ve all looked for love in the wrong places, but Bobby (Linus Karp) is looking in pet shops and zoos. The excruciating morning-after conversations/monologues that Bobby has in his attempts to bond with his four-legged friends are painfully funny and sweet.
Rob Hayes’ script is so sensitive and unsensational, and Katherine Armitage’s direction so sympathetic, that poor Bobby’s neediness becomes (almost) understandable. You can’t help but like Bobby – even though you’d never ask him to cat sit.
Working his way through a dog, cat, goat, monkey and bear, Bobby’s reactions in the afterglow are exactly as you’d expect if there was a human in his bed. He plans their future, apologises for any comments that could be misconstrued as sexist (speciesist?) and anthropomorphises their imagined responses. Just as you begin to feel comfortable, a stark reminder of the species is thrown in – eliciting belly laughs and squirms alike. The scene with the monkey prostitute is especially well written, with Bobby imagining a grooming story for the creature that is in turns hysterical and horrifyingly familiar.
Linus Karp gives Bobby a pathetically defiant edge under the pitiful neediness and is wonderful in the moments when he thinks he has offended an animal. His body language when making gauche compliments is simply adorable. As Bobby’s past is gradually revealed, Karp becomes more and more fragile, until the final scene where the laughs dry up and the dark sadness that drives Bobby’s life is portrayed with understated but devastating skill – a simply brilliant performance that never loses its grip on the audience.
Awkward Conversations is quirky, funny and very, very moving – grab a ticket while you can.
The ultimate jukebox musical has crashed into Bristol and you are guaranteed for a party!
The story depicts two young people, Sherrie and Drew who wind up working together in a downtrodden bar named the ‘Bourbon Room’ and immediately begin to feel love for each other. Sherrie (Jodie Steele) is an aspiring actress who lands a waitressing job in the bar to cover her bills; while Drew (Luke Walsh) is an aspiring Rock Singer. After a less than romantic and somewhat awkward date, the pair part as friends, leading Sherrie to become a stripper in a gentleman’s club, where she meets one of her past lovers, Rock Star Staycee Jaxx (Antony Costa). Eventually, after much contemplation and a lot more singing, Drew and Sherrie end up rekindling their once powerful love.
This production is an amalgamation of stereotypical sex, drugs and Rock’n’roll with some immense talent and strength both vocally and physically. The show begins like you are in the audience of a major rock concert and immediately transports you back to the 1970’s – where everything is encouraged!
The stand out performance was undoubtedly Lucas Rush as ‘Lonny’, the outrageously eccentric Narrator of the show. He captured the audience from the get-go and not once, did he relinquish his control over us! He was funny, sexy, surprising and an extremely talented man! Breaking the fourth wall at any moment possible, he managed to bring tears of laughter to all privileged to be in the auditorium!
As a charismatic character, Regina (Rhiannon Chesterman) had stunning vocals that perfectly suited the rock genre. Her rendition of We’re Not Going to Take it left me fully speechless as she effortlessly soared through the score! Along with Andrew Carthy as ‘Franz’ an outrageous German, these two had spectacular rapport, that led to the audience howling with laughter! A perfectly cast pair! Steele and Walsh as Sherrie and Drew displayed outstanding vocals and perfectly matched harmonies – they enhance this very predictable and loose story line with phenomenal vocal abilities. Antony Costa as Stacee Jaxx also showed his vocal prowess and added to the story.
Zoe Birkett as Justice, the owner of the gentleman’s club where Sherrie is eventually recruited to has one outstandingly powerful voice. Her soul and passion radiated through into the audience and was easy to see why she was cast!
If you are in need of a little transportation to the good life, a full rock’n’roll show or just an amazing night, Lonny is sure to be waiting in Bristol for you!
Imitating the Dog’s Heart of Darkness takes Joseph Conrad’s 1902 novella and tells it all over again with some substantial changes made to characters and location. Imitating the Dog, known for their innovative approach to theatre, combine technology and live performance, creating a graphic-novel-style story which is filmed on a green screen before the audience using two onstage cameras and projected onto hanging screens above. With compelling visuals and a plot adapted for a 2019 audience, Heart of Darkness is slick, stylish and intelligently crafted.
The original story, influential yet controversial, followed detective Charles Marlow along the river Congo, into the heart of the Congo Free State, created and controlled by European colonisers, where forced labour was used to exploit locals and natural resources. Cutting off hands, the burning of villages and severing heads was commonplace in the Congo Free State, mutilation used as a method of control by Europeans. However, this version lifts the horrors inflicted by Europeans on Africa, dumps into Europe and tells the tale as though Europeans have inflicted such horror on themselves instead.
Joseph Conrad’s tale is critiqued in this stage version by the cast who break from the narrative to debate themes that arise from the novel. As they discuss the racist depiction of Africa by the author, it is decided, on stage, that a change of roles should take place. The river is replaced by a road through a ravaged Europe which has never recovered from war and where cities and towns have been replaced by forced labour camps, a raw and brutal form of capitalism. Charles Marlowe (Keicha Greenidge) is replaced by a woman from Kinshasha, who is paid to journey through these camps to find Kurtz, the man renowned for running his camp most efficiently, in order to learn his methods before his death. With Marlow tasked to return to Kinshasha with the blue prints for expansion of this horrific system, she must make an important and potentially fatal decision.
Spliced with lip synced scenes from Apocalypse Now and a scathing condemnation of the Joseph Conrad original by author Chinua Achebe, Heart of Darkness manages to recreate a classic in a modern and thought-provoking way. It is unashamedly political, with modern day nationalist leaders and groups projected onto the screens and a cast playing out a fierce debate on how British history is taught and how the continent of Africa is depicted. Heart of Darkness is intelligent, fearless and will have you shifting uncomfortably in your seat.
Southern Belles, uniting two ground-breaking one-act plays by Tennessee Williams, will headline the King’s Head Theatre’s 2019 Queer Season, running from 24 July to 24 August. Southern Belles is directed by Jamie Armitage, co-director of the multi Olivier nominated musical Six, a graduate of King’s Head Theatre’s Trainee Resident Director’s scheme and now a Junior Associate, as well as a Resident Director at the Almeida Theatre.
And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens was never performed in Williams’s lifetime, owing to its openly gay characters. Williams wrote the play in 1957, after his Broadway successes with Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. It charts the heart-breaking encounter between an extraordinary drag queen and a troubled sailor in 1950’s New Orleans and explores the boundaries of love, passion and heartbreak.
Something Unspoken was written in 1958 and debuted as part of a double bill with Suddenly, Last Summer. In Something Unspoken, tensions between a wealthy Southern spinster, Miss Cornelia Scott, and Grace, her loyal secretary of 15 years, boil over in a confrontation that exposes their complex, unacknowledged and romantic yearning for each other.
And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens and Something Unspoken will be presented together for the very first time. Poignant, unexpected and shimmeringly beautiful, Southern Belles are startling tales of love, loneliness and longing, which cast a light on the lives of those forced to hide their true feelings from society.
Director Jamie Armitage said, “My career began at the King’s Head Theatre and I am unbelievably excited to be returning there this summer with two exquisite plays by Tennessee Williams which have never been paired together before. These stories of unspoken love and desire speak to the most basic human need to feel genuinely connected. My hope is that audiences will be as enchanted by these beautiful plays as I am.”
Producer, Michelle Barnette, said,“The King’s Head Theatre has a long history of producing plays that really hone in on the queer experience. With Southern Belles, we have a wonderful opportunity to feature an unspoken love story between two women and address a time in the not-too-distant past where being gay was a punishable offence. We’re very proud to be producing this beautiful double bill as the headliner of our Queer Season, telling two stories of humanity at its finest: when it’s trying to find the way to be its most honest, most emotionally open, self.”
Southern Belles will be designed by Sarah Mercadé, with lighting design by Ben Jacobs.
Southern Belles is co-produced by the King’s Head Theatre and Making Productions.
LISTINGS INFORMATION
Southern Belles
Two one-act plays by Tennessee Williams
24 July – 24 August 2019
King’s Head Theatre
115 Upper Street
London N1 1QN
Performances: Tuesday – Saturday at 7.00pm, Saturday & Sunday at 3.00pm* (*no 3.00pm matinee on Saturday 27 July)
In the Willows brings Kenneth Grahame’s 1908 classic story of Wind in the Willows straight into the 21st century with a bang.
This version has great fun copying characters and traits from the original and transforms them with caricatures from any typical high school and dresses them with hip-hop street culture. With vibrant energy, engaging music and lyrics and an abundance of colourful costumes to match throughout the whole performance a marriage of hip-hop and musical theatre styles works so well.
The Willows is a senior school in a rough area. Mole (Victoria Boyce) starts a new school, she is struggling to fit in and communicate. Overseeing it all is Badger (Clive Rowe), the kindly teacher who asks streetwise and sassy Ratty (Zara Macintosh), to look after the panicky new kid. Toad (Harry Jardine) is the likeable, flashy kid. The story of Toad moved to the classroom is seamless. They are supported by 3 pink rabbits, a be-spectacled Owl, a very tall Otter and a camp, long-legged Duck decked out in fabulous yellow! We have a band of Weasels who are a street gang lead by their Chief (Matt Knight) in long red coat and beanie. Everyone gets a moment in the limelight and it is difficult to take your eyes off any one of them. Its difficult to single out a particular cast member as everyone produced a stella performance.
The River Bank is the local club and the Wildwood is a broken housing estate. William Reynolds’s set cleverly allows for the familiarity of Badger’s small home and the open spaces needed for the cast to perform the dance-offs and set pieces at The Riverbank youth club. Movement and dance routines are tight and well-choreographed with special lighting effects and slow motion adding theatrical subtleties. Characters set the scenes as part of their performance, thus distracting the audience from possible dull set changes and gaps. You can tell a lot of thought has gone into transferring this classic tale into the 21st Century.
Harry Jardine is cast perfectly as Toad with the right blend of entertainment, warmth and likeability, He raps are on point with Chief Weasel playing the part of the “bad” rapper. Sean Miley Moore is superb as Duck, bringing a lot of energy and sass to his performance.
The characters and situation are modern and at the heart of it, themes of friendship, good conquering bad and respect. If you want to see an old classic re worked into a highly engaging, high energy show with powerfully and emotional singing, hip hop and street dancing, great set design and fantastic choreography then go so In the Willows
Grand Opera House York until Saturday 20th April 2019.
Reviewed by Marcus Richardson
4****
The Sound of Music is a timeless classic, with Julie Andrews playing the iconic Maria in the film. The show follows Maria, a postulant, who has trouble conforming to the Abbey life, so she is sent away to be the governess of seven children. York Stage Musicals have decided to bring this show to life at the York Grand Opera House. YSM is one of several amateur dramatic groups with a very good reputation. The last show I saw of theirs was Priscilla Queen of the Desert, which I enjoyed, so I did go into this show with some high expectations, that’s for sure.
The whole cast worked incredibly as a chorus, with the nuns opening the numbers with, what I can only describe as an angelic performance. Although the nuns open the show with saintly songs we soon meet Maria played by Joanne Theaker, who has previous extensive experience with YSM. We first meet the character as she sings The Sound of Music; Theaker, maybe just a wee bit older than the original Maria, does a splendid job of creating a character that is both gentle and adventurous, but then again how do you describe a character like Maria?
The Von Trapp children were played by team So La Ti Do on the night I went to watch the show, with Liesl being played by Louise Henry every night of the run. The children do an incredible job on stage both singing Do-Re-Me and having enough presence to create characters and be seen by the audience. The father of the Von Trapp family is played by Callum O’Connell, who at first is cold and uniformed, but as the play goes on we see him open up and fall in love. Now although the whole cast sang amazingly, I do have to note the ability of Rowan Kitchen, who played the Mother Abbess, she is only 21 years old, what a spectacular voice.
The stage was simple and was decorated by six pillars, the only negative thing I have to note about the stage is that the steps are too deep, which made it look a bit odd as some of the children struggled to climb up the steps, and some of the nuns struggling up the stairs. The costumes were just as you could expect from The Sound of Music, nothing looked out of place or wrong. The scene changes took a bit longer than I wanted, however this is very minor.
It was just as good as my previous experience with YSM, the standard of their performances are incredibly high considering it’s am-dram. I would completely recommend this show as it’s a classic you can sing along to and enjoy the music. Eggsellent show to catch for this Easter weekend.
THEATRE ROYAL, GLASGOW – UNTIL SATURDAY 20TH APRIL
REVIEWED BY SIOBHAN WILSON
4****
The manipulation and investigation capture the audience with its plot twists and turns. There is a murder that the police investigate, and a functioning alcoholic manages to embroider herself throughout the investigation with all the people who were part of the murder victim’s life. She manages to get all those involved to speak to her and give her snippets of information which allows her to direct the police to try and solve the murder of a lady who she sees daily through the train window while she is stopped at the signals.
Samantha Womack as functioning alcoholic Rachel Watson is flawless, her ability to switch between drunk sober and hungover so effortlessly is commendable. She lends her self well to the manipulation without giving away much of what is coming and leads the thrills where they are supposed to be.
Adam Jackson Smith as Tom Watson is a great casting. He smoothly changes personalities as though it was someone different playing each personality.
John Dougall as DI Gaskill one liners really add a facetious humour to an otherwise purely dark thriller. Delivered impeccably to take a begrudging liking to the Detective Inspector.
The costume design was really effective with special reference to Megan’s dress (the murder victim) changing subtly from red to black the deader she got.
The staging and lighting ran extremely smoothly and artistically done to really make you feel like you in the audience are on the train or platform.
If you like crime dramas then this is the one for you. I would happily go and see this again, especially with this talented cast.
h CLUB LONDON ANNOUNCES h FOUNDATION EMERGING CREATIVES 2019 COHORT, INCLUDING FILMMAKERS, MUSICIANS, ARTISTS & THEATRE PRACTITIONERS
Programme Includes £3,000 grant and Access To Professional Coaches & Masterclasses
Today, h Club London (formerly The Hospital Club) is proud to announce the h Foundation Emerging Creatives 2019 cohort. The programme is designed for talented 21-35-year-olds who are looking to progress their career in the arts. The creatives include British-Lebanese filmmaker, CelineCotran, London-based creative director, visual producer and filmmaker Souvid Datta, designer Harry Grundy, composer and multi-instrumentalist Stefano Fasce and Danish theatre director, Camilla Gürtler.
Launched in 2014, the h Foundation was created to promote diversity across the creative industries by providing access opportunities into creative disciplines for underrepresented young people. Emerging Creatives is the Foundation’s flagship programme that aims to discover, nurture and showcase the next generation of creative leaders in the UK. Each year the scheme works with five creatives (representing music, fashion, film, art and design and theatre and performance) over the course of twelve months, to help them produce original work and get it in front of the right audiences. The programme gives winners the space and support they need to grow as an artist, while gaining the knowledge, skills and contacts to make a business of their talents. h Club host individual showcases for each of the creatives throughout the programme.
The Emerging Creatives Cohort Each Receive:
A £3,000 grant towards a creative project
One year’s complimentary club membership
A professional coach
An industry mentor
Access to a series of masterclasses
Opportunities to showcase their work within the creative industries
Hannah Hedges, h Foundation said:
“We are incredibly proud to be working with this year’s talented cohort of Emerging Creatives. All to often talented young people go unrecognised as they are not given the opportunity to progress their career. We hope to give this year’s programme the chance to reach their full potential with the support and guidance of an experience group of mentors and professional coaches.”
Celine Cotran is a British-Lebanese filmmaker with a passion for telling female-driven stories that touch on the fantastical and the absurd. After completing a BA in French and Russian Literature at the University of Oxford, Celine graduated with a Distinction from the London Film School, where she was mentored by Academy award-winning producer David Parfitt (Shakespeare in Love, My Week with Marilyn). Her graduation film, After Eights, has been nominated in several film festivals worldwide, including the BAFTA Qualifying Carmarthen Bay Film Festival for Best Comedy Short. Her first professional short The Time Tree, co-starring Frances Tomelty and Daisy Waterstone, was adapted from the children’s novel of the same name by Enid Richemont. It was produced in association with the Academy award-winning production company Trademark Films, and was a grant recipient of the Doha Film Institute 2017 Fall Grants Programme. It had its world premiere at the Oscar Qualifying Sarajevo Film Festival 2018, and has since screened at Cinekid Film Festival, the largest children’s film festival in the world, with an upcoming screening at the Oscar Qualifying RiverRun FF in April 2019. Her most recent film, Layla, has just completed post production. It stars Wafa Al Shalati, a refugee from Syria, in her first role. She is also in post-production on a feature-length documentary about refugees in London, exploring both the joys and difficulties of beginning a new life from nothing. Both pieces do so much to break down stereotypes, and as a Middle Eastern filmmaker, this is a project that is incredibly close to her heart.
Celine Cotran said:
“I am beyond thrilled to be part of a programme that does so much to help young creatives. I know this will be a transformative year, and I am incredibly excited to begin my journey as this year’s Film Emerging Creative.”
Souvid Datta is a London-based creative director, visuals producer and filmmaker with six years experience developing stories and multimedia content for the editorial, news, advertising and commercial sectors. After completing a degree in International Relations, Law and Conflict Studies at UCL, he went on to produce commissioned and personal projects in over 50 countries with clients including Google, National Geographic Magazine, The New York Times, Channel 4, BBC Studios, TIME and The Guardian. Through narrative storytelling and visual-led investigations, Souvid’s work tackles under-reported contemporary issues through the lens of empowering, human-led stories.
Souvid Datta said:
“I’m thrilled to have been selected alongside such incredible and diverse talents! It’s so rare to find a program that provides not only a central-London space, but hands-on coaching and financial resources to pursue passion projects, and rarer still to find one that focuses on investing in your personal creative growth above all else. I’m really excited to make the most of it, and to build my body of professional work as well as my creative network with h Club’s generous support.”
Harry Grundy’s studio practice seeks playful answers to familiar questions. By applying an idea-centric attitude to furniture, architecture, visual art, storytelling and performance, his work asks you to look again at the solemn and familiar moments in life.
Harry Grundy said:
“At this unpredictable, embryonic stage of my career it means an awful lot to be supported by such a wonderful scheme, put together by people with a genuine interest in the growth of my work.”
Stefano Fasce is a composer and multi-instrumentalist, devoted to story-telling through music. Graduated from the National Film and Television School in 2018, his recent credits includes a 5-part series for the History Channel (”Al Murray: Why Does Everyone Hate The English?”) and “Dead Birds” which was nominated for a Student Academy Award and won both the Student Jury Prize and Audience Award at the Poitiers Film Festival. His concert pieces have recently been performed in Brussels and Singapore.
Parallel to his film music career, Stefano is working on his debut album that aims to blur the line between orchestral and electronic music.
Stefano Fasce said:
“I’m delighted to have been selected as an Emerging Composer and I can’t wait to get stuck into the programme and ensure I make the most out of this fantastic opportunity.”
Camilla Gürtler is the artistic director of Cut the Cord, a theatre company focusing on bringing new Scandinavian and Nordic plays to the UK. Cut the Cord is known for its visual and physical productions and their focus on social change through theatre and what it means to be human. Cut the Cord is currently curating a Nordic Festival in London in 2020.
She trained at Drama Centre London and StoneCrabs Theatre’s Young Directors’ Programme, and was awarded a Judges Commendation in Directing for Kinder K at The National Student Drama Festival 2018.
In addition to directing, Camilla works as a practitioner with years of experience in outreach work in the UK and abroad, including the Almeida Theatre, Drama Centre London, Central Saint Martins, Omnibus Theatre, Poplar Union and The Space. She also works as a translator and reader and recently translated and read for the Royal Court’s International Residency 2019.
Directing credits include:
I Run (Vault Festival/Platform Theatre), Endless Second (Theatre503), Beyond the Blue (Camden People’s Theatre/Theatre Royal Stratford East/Old Vic Lab 17), Kinder K (The National Student Drama Festival/Bunker Theatre), Mydidae (Wimbledon College of Arts), When Mr. Excavator Came and Ate All the Trees, The Monkeys and Hamster-Beavers Had a Battle (Omnibus Theatre), The Nightingale and the Rose (Etcetera) and An Incident at the Border (The Albany).
Camilla Gürtler said:
“I’m so excited to be named Emerging Creative with a place as vibrant as the h Club. Being an artist can feel very isolating, so having a base and a support network for a year is an invaluable opportunity. I’m at the point of my career where things are starting to move really fast, so being part of a network that can support me in developing my work as a theatre director into something sustainable will be a game-changer for me. Finding a place that supports you to this extend is rare so I cannot wait to see what this year will open up for me!”
Based on the film of the same name, Night of the Living Dead Live takes you back to 1968 and the zombie invasion.
The story starts with siblings Barbra (Mari McGinlay) and Jonny going to visit their father’s grave. Whilst in the grave yard the pair are attacked by the Living Dead. Barbra escapes but Jonny doesn’t and ends up as part of the Living Dead. Whilst escaping Barbra meets Ben (Ashley Samuels) and the pair hide out in an abandoned house, where Helen (Jennifer Harding) and husband Harry (Marc Pickering) are hiding in the cellar with their daughter Karen, and teenage couple Tom (Tama Phethean) and Judy (also played by Jennifer Harding).
The first half of the play up to the interval is the original story, with no survivors. This is commented on by chief of police Chief McClelland (Mike Bodie) and his sidekick Vince (also Phethean) where they come up with different scenarios as to how the group could have survived, including hiding out in the basement, which didn’t work as everyone turned on each other. The women being in charge, which didn’t work because they didn’t tell the men the plan. Someone sacrificing themselves, which didn’t work as everyone sacrificed themselves, and learning to work with each other,which included a song and dance routine about working together and trusting one a other, which didn’t work because McClelland shot them all. Meaning no matter what the group did, survival was not possible.
The scenery is impressive as it is the entrance hall to the abandoned house but later it acts as the cellar when the group try and hide down there. Any scene that is outside of the house, such as McClelland and Vince talking to one an other is done behind a wall in the house which is removed to show the outside world. The group also joke that Judy is never around, and Helen even says she is entrusting her daughter to Judy, who she has just met, which raises a laugh from the audience.
The cast all have similar make up done to make it look like it is in black and white, like the original film, which adds to the horror aspect. Because of this, the outfits are all black, white and grey as well.
All in all a good night out with a few scary aspects, blood and gore and lots of laughs.
Story House, Chester – until Saturday 20th April 2019
Reviewed by Julie Noller
5*****
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat the musical that was written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber as the 60’s came to a close when they were in their early twenties, first performed in Edinburgh before it’s 1973 debut on the West End. Like fine wine it’s aged well and has become the musical of choice, both for theatre goers where it’s a must see extravaganza and performers on stage where names have been made, careers altered, chart topping hits and not forgetting we are now in the era of reality tv shows.
I first saw Joseph on the west end as I joined the queues eager to see Lee Mead following Any Dream Will Do the 2007 BBC reality show designed to choose the latest Joseph. I was keen to see how the touring version would compare after all regional theatres are often smaller, would the show be full of razzmatazz still? Honestly I need not have worried, it was a wonderful night full of show tunes, lights, typically British humour bringing to life the tale of Joseph from the Book of Genesis in The Bibles Old Testament.
If Fairy Powered Productions could sprinkle some of her magic dust and allow me a higher star rating then I would, I was beaming from ear to ear throughout. The wondrous applause throughout the entire performance highlighted the audience loved it just as much.
Like a mother with a family of squabbling children I found it impossible to choose my favourite character, yes we have our leading pair Trina Hill as Narrator, who brings experience along with compassion and warmth to the role. She is the perfect storyteller, vocally she was crystal clear, hitting those high notes. The joy of a smaller theatre meant I could see everything happening on stage from comedic sheep to Trina’s facial expressions. Jaymi Hensley is joining other prestigious names to play Joseph and his career, like that of Joseph, looks like it’s set to shine bright. Yes he may have come to the public’s attention as part of boy band Union J, who finished fourth on the X Factor in 2012. We are after all the generation of reality TV, that experience has done him no harm. He may still be honing his skills in theatre productions, but his voice is divine. He was cheeky when needed, sad and upset when called upon. Could go from quiet almost whispering to raising the rafters, quite easily he could have been singing to me only; the rest of the audience drifted away and my hairs stood on end. I needed no encouragement to get to my feet and applaud, I actually stayed on my feet and sang along for the ending medley.
The entire cast appeared to be enjoying the performance immensely. Henry Metcalfe as Jacob, Josephs beloved Father during Those Canaan Days is wonderful, Andrew Geater as Pharaoh an Elvisesque character bringing an ancient king to life as a modern day king. Then there’s the brothers themselves, the simple touches across culture from cowboys, to dancing cancan girls and jazz singers.
You may be aware of the story of Joseph already, the favourite son of Jacob who was hated by his jealous brothers. Sold as a slave, his golden coat of many colours (yes you’ll be happy to hear that song is included how could it not be) ripped to pieces and dipped in goats blood. He finally makes his fortune as a dream interpreter of Pharaoh and even saves his brothers from the famine that has hit the land so hard.
Of course you should go and see this Bill Kenwright Produced and Directed musical, I can’t think of a single reason why you shouldn’t. Special mention should be to Chester’s own Stagecoach School who provided the Joseph Choir they performed magnificently and like the rest of the cast were thoroughly enjoying themselves which meant we the audience were enjoying ourselves.
Long may Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat reign both in spirit and our hearts. Like Josephs coat at the very end may your day be filled with a multicoloured rainbow that shines as long as the music does.
