Review: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at New Wimbledon Theatre dazzles audiences

On the way home from New Wimbledon Theatre on Tuesday night, I found myself singing a song I had only been introduced to two hours earlier. We had been invited to review Bill Kenwright’s production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at New Wimbledon Theatre, and the music was surprisingly catchy.

In fact, I’ve had to play Any Dream Will Do at home since the outing, and my seven-year-old plus one commented that the songs in this musical stood out.

I couldn’t agree more. The colourful production is a delight to watch with feel-good songs that will have audiences singing “May I return to the beginning” or “there’s one more angel in heaven, there’s one more star in the sky” days after the show.

The comical musical tells the story about Jacob’s son Joseph, who is sold into slavery, and ends up in jail in Egypt where he discovers his ability to interpret dreams. He soon becomes the Pharaoh’s right-hand man and is later reunited with his family.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat has had multiple runs on West End in the past, and the musical is currently on a UK tour.

The set takes audiences to Ancient Egypt, with a backdrop of pyramids and palm trees, and the programme features a page with hieroglyphs and their meanings.

Throughout the performance, Mark McMullan, who plays Joseph, and Alexandra Doar, who’s the narrator, also impressed with their singing. The sharp and smooth choreography was another highlight, with Joseph’s 11 brothers at times resembling a large pop group that cherish being on stage. Simply watching some of these up-to-date routines and clean moves made me smile.

The production also boasts a large Joseph youth choir, and the more than 30 youngsters kicked off the second act with a stellar performance.

The very last ten minutes of the musical also impressed, and it was like being at a concert when some of the show’s true hits were repeated by an Elvis-style pharaoh. From the audience, someone shouted out they wanted more–and the cast delivered yet another colourful number that had us on our feet, clapping and tapping along.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat will be playing at New Wimbledon Theatre until 25 January. For families conscious about sound levels, I would recommend avoiding seats near the aisles in the first rows of the stalls, as there are speakers on each side of the stage.

(Photo by Pamela Raith)

Tags: Musicals, New Wimbledon Theatre, What's on stage