Joseph and the amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
At the Grand Opera House, Belfast
Book tickets here
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat bursts on to the stage at the Grand Opera House Belfast from Tuesday 22 – Saturday 26 October book your tickets now and be part of the magic!
Having enjoyed sensational reviews, Bill Kenwright’s ‘Amazing’, ‘Superb’, ‘Wonderful’ and ‘Brilliant’ production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sparkling family musical continues to enjoy huge success across the country with standing ovations at every performance.
Retelling the Biblical story of Joseph, his eleven brothers and the coat of many colours, this magical musical is full of unforgettable songs including Those Canaan Days, Any Dream Will Do and Close Every Door To Me.
Fresh from the hit television series STEPS: On The Road Again and a 20 date sold out arena tour, Ian ‘H’ Watkins is delighted to reprise the role of Joseph which he first played in London’s West End in 2005.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor is a vibrant and energetic performance of the hit musical by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber and will certainly have your toes tapping to the music.
Ian Watkins portrayal of Joseph is actually quite good in that he does engage the audience. Though there are a number of segments and pieces that he does not appear in, this seemed to only add to his appeal on stage.
The standout performances were from the Narrator Jennifer Potts whose voice literally soared into the rafters and whose infectious smile and ease of movement and interactions with the children (who were providing background vocals) certainly brought smiles to everyone’s faces.
Without doubt however, the most enthralling and entertaining character came in the second act in the form of Luke Jasztal, whose portrayal of Pharaoh as an Elvis-type character complete with jumpsuit, flares and even a cape virtually brought the house down.
Having Pharaoh portrayed as “The King of Rock n’ Roll” was a masterstroke, but certainly not the most surreal piece in this production. There were talking camels, blow up sheep (literally) and a back drop of The Eiffel Tower from Paris (which was especially weird as the musical is set in biblical times in Egypt!).
The sets and production varied from very amateurish to quite innovative at times with the centrepiece being an immovable stair case upon which the children sat and provided background vocals. There were palm trees, a Sphinx, a jail cell and even a Harley-Davidson (sorry, I mean Chariot) roaring across the stage.
The costumes were garish in colour and also quite surreal; Joseph was wearing Ugg Boots, there was a ‘Jeeves’ type butler and the Pharaoh’s bodyguards were dressed as American Footballers complete with cheerleaders.
All in all, a very different type of musical that was completely aimed at young children and families, and all good fun, provided you didn’t think too hard. Young children will surely love this type of musical panto, whilst parents may have a chuckle or two in the second act.
3 out of 5 Nerds