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Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Bill Kenwright
by special arrangement with The Really Useful Group
Theatre is life. Cinema is art. Television is furniture. So the saying goes, and, although an enduring favourite, it must be said that this production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat owes much to the furniture.
Three of its cast members participated in the television show Any Dream Will Do and this is clearly a draw. It could seem unfair that Joseph is played by the fifth-placed Craig Chalmers rather than his second-placed fellow Scot Keith Jack, but both local lads have the audience behind them.
"Unashamedly
loud, bright and
joyful ... both
local lads have
the audience
behind them"
The title role is not intended to be a deep character study and Chalmers does perfectly well as a sweet, pretty Joseph. It is clear that Jack could do just as well in being sweet – and no doubt he’s the prettier – but as the narrator his stronger voice brings bland songs to life with a richness of vocal expression.
However, any pity for him in not securing the title role evaporates completely with his rendition of The Pharaoh’s Story, which showcases his talent brilliantly. Its reference to a man who ‘Could be famous/Could be a big success/Could become a star’ is particularly poignant when the audience knows how far the performer singing those words has come since he threw in his Tesco towel.
There is enough enthusiasm that on a family night out the kids might not notice, but the cardboard cut-out set and slightly out-of-sync choreography give the impression of a high-budget school production. This is compounded by the presence of a child choir sitting rigidly on the edges of a double staircase for almost the entire show. Their voices are lovely but their discomfort is plain.
The show’s flamboyant finale is the Joseph Megamix, which is like watching the whole show compressed into five hectic minutes. Joseph is then mechanically raised up as a giant version of the eponymous coat billows and spreads across the stage. It is unashamedly loud, bright and joyful. Television can’t compare.
Caroline Scott-Thomas
Reviewed at Edinburgh Playhouse in December 2007.
May 26-31 2008, His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen. Tel: 01224 641122.
www.boxofficeaberdeen.com
Have you seen this production? Share your views!
What the papers said:
The Herald:
*** "A smorgasbord of cash-cow showbiz cynicism ... a charmingly ungroovy piece of
cut-glass Home Counties naffness"
The Scotsman:
**** "Cheerful, kitsch-laden, but intensely likeable ... Keith Jack, shows huge talent in the key role of the Narrator"
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