Curve Theatre Leicester – until 5th July 2025
Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh
3***
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s multi award-winning show, is one of the world’s most beloved family musicals. The current UK tour presented by Michael Harrison and The Really Useful Group is bright, brash, and quite different from previous renditions. Unfortunately, this is not a good thing. While it succeeds in delivering plenty of energy, brilliant dancing and superb singing, there are some creative choices that are puzzling.
The cast is very child heavy, which includes them performing several key adult roles. This may seem cute in an amateur show but not here. The young cast are extremely talented but miscast in roles such as Potiphar, the brothers, the baker and the butler. They lack the vocal and stage presence needed for a professional tour. They often wear modern clothing which jars with the setting and there is a lot of forth wall breaking which gives the production a panto like feel. The addition of cheesy jokes and repeated childish humour adds to the school play vibes. Having the ‘Narrator’ take on multiple roles such as Potiphar’s wife and Jacob is also an odd choice. It compromises the integrity of scenes and is a possible reason why she begins with an exaggerated American accent which fluctuates and aggravates throughout the show.
Adam Filipe gives a strong vocal performance as Joseph. Joe McElderry is entertaining as Pharaoh but doesn’t quite embody Elvis. Christina Bianco as Narrator is some sort of one-woman band, taking on several roles and accents. There is no doubt she has a sensational singing voice, but her performance is jarring as she monopolises almost every scene unnecessarily. The cast put their all into their performance, with brilliant ensemble numbers. Everyone dances and sings their hearts out, but in trying to modernise the musical and make it ‘extra’, they lose what made the original show such a success.