“What’s stopping you, Go,Go,Go see Joseph”
I have fond memories of watching the 1999 VHS of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and for most musical theatre kids, Joseph will hold a place in their heart, whether good or bad. So I was thrilled to learn of the touring production of Joseph at the New Theatre, Oxford and had to grab a ticket.
The touring production of this new arrangement which was first performed at the London Palladium on the 27th June 2019, and saw this tour opening at the Edinburgh Playhouse with Donny Osmond himself in the role of Pharaoh, is seeing a spectacular run in Oxford.
The buzz in the auditorium was clear and it was fantastic to see a variety of ages across the audience, showing that no matter the age, children and adults alike can enjoy Joseph and by the end of the performance, everyone was on their feet dancing along to the megamix.
The role of the Narrator is a hard role to pull off, as they are part of the story from start to finish and is involved in every number and Christina Bianco was a powerhouse in keeping the energy and momentum up throughout the performance, her relationship with the children’s cast was lovely to see too. Adam Filipe as Joseph, has a beautiful voice and one that gave me chills in his version of ‘Close Every Door to Me’ and I would even go so far as to say he was a better Joseph than when I saw the Palladium production in 2021. Alex Woodward as Pharaoh did a brilliant job and even though only for a short space of time made a big impact with his ‘Song of the King’. I mention these three by name only because they are “the principal parts” in Joseph but quite honestly the whole cast (both adult and children) were phenomenal. Huge props has to go to the female ensemble as the energy they all brought to the numbers they were in and then standing still in their Egyptian postures, was just incredible. And we mustn’t forget the Brothers. The Brothers were a well formed unit and the way they all acted off each other worked superbly. All of the numbers they were in were well executed and I loved watching the different dances. A special mention must go to the child who played Judah, I was blown away by his voice and moves when he started singing ‘Benjamin’s Calypso.
I could go on about this production but won’t because if you have the chance to get to the New Theatre this week then you should go. It was an evening of light heart fun with the classic musical buzz you get after seeing a group of actors who are so good at what they do. I couldn’t help but smile as I left the theatre, hearing others around me debriefing, words such as “wowzers” and “spectacular” were used.
With three performances left and all of them limited availability, what’s stopping you, Go, Go, Go see Joseph at the New Theatre now.
For those not in Oxford, check tour dates near you here
One Fabulous show too watch I went too Edinburgh too see the show, lovely City too ( 4 shows ) Fabulous.