The Grand Theatre Leeds – until Saturday 29 March 2025
Reviewed by Gretel Price
5*****
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat is a classic musical for a reason. Originally composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics written by Tom Rice, its set designs, show-stopping songs and colourful costumes make it feel like more than just a musical. General management Micheal Harrison Entertainment successfully recreated the true magic of this iconic show. After over fifty years from when it was first performed, it still never fails to fascinate the audience.
As a musical, ‘Joseph’ is very much ensemble orientated, featuring both children and adults bringing their best abilities to the stage. The children were truly a gifted group of performers, emitting energy and joy into every scene, and even adopting some adult roles. They are led by the wonderful Christina Bianco (The Narrator) and the fantastic Adam Filipe (Joseph) who couldn’t have been more ideal for their characters. Bianco was an outstanding narrator, bringing humour and light to the entire show and an incredible voice which guided the musical start to finish. Her ability to commend the audience’s laughter at any moment was unparalleled and the chemistry on stage between her and the other cast members was genuinely special to watch. Like Bianco, Filipe also had both the charm and powerful vocals to make a memorable Joseph of his own, leaving the audience in awe of his talents. Another phenomenal performance was Joe McElderry (X-Factor winner) as Pharoh in Act 2 who further enhanced the comedic elements of the show and brought both life and passion into his role.
Set and Costume designer Morgan Large and lighting designer Ben Cracknell went above and beyond ordinary musical sets and completely transformed the stage into a burst of colour, capturing stunning Egyptian desert settings. The visuals were utterly spectacular – the glowing sunset radiated vibrancy, to reflect each song. The Technicolour Dreamcoat itself was extraordinary and moved gracefully with Joseph from each twirl. Large and Cracknell perfectly executed the song ‘Joseph’s Coat’ with the lighting framing the stage to match each colour named. Rainbow was successfully incorporated into most of the costumes for the ensemble – even in dull moments such as ‘Those Canaan Days’. However, a particular highlight for me was the illuminous prison scene where Cracknell was able to reflect shards of light across the floor from the prison bars, contrasted with a dark glow of blue. This added such a beautiful depiction of Joesph’s loneliness which was then of course immediately contrasted with the next scene.
Throughout the entire show all songs were sung pitch-perfect to full volume, allowing the audience to feel involved with the cast. This was especially magical at the end in the ‘Joseph Megamix’ where the audience were encouraged to stand up and dance with those on stage from their seats and sing along with a mashup of all songs. As a sung-through musical it was almost unbelievable to watch the cast enjoy their roles and not tire of the physical stamina needed to dance and sing with maximum energy continuously. The true standout for me which demonstrated this was the Pharoh’s ‘Song of the King’ which mesmerised the audience as we watched the spectacular golden Egyptian set transform across the globe into a lively ‘Vegas’ inspired scene. The energy was infectious, and it was impossible not to laugh or smile while watching. I do believe this was an absolutely unmissable show and would recommend it for all people of all ages.