Joseph

Tonight, I had the pleasure of meeting AWMTC for one of the first adult productions of Joseph and His Technicolour Dreamcoat since the new rights came into place.  Having not been to an AWMTC production before, I was excited to meet this society.  By now, we (should) all know the story of Joseph and his journey from Canaan to Egypt; along with the Andrew Lloyd Webber score.  It was a pleasure to see this musical again, as an adult production, and I was not disappointed.

This production was directed by Heidi Cook.  Heidi chose to produce this as a traditional tale with traditional costumes.  Although personally I would’ve done a more up-to-date version, for me, the traditional version still has a place, as the younger audiences have generally not been treated to this.  I have a few questions when it comes to the directorial vision of this production.  If the Narrator is telling the story to the children throughout and the children are then taken on a journey back in time, why then do the children interact with the cast?  I also found it strange that some of the cast took a ‘selfie’ with a mobile phone, a plastic abacus was used, cowboy hats were worn, and that Joseph was wearing high top Reeboks at the end.  I also hated the black costumes and headscarves for the female cast members; I found them very distracting.  I also felt that there was added burst of colour from the underskirts, ribbons etc.  I personally think that Joseph’s coat should be the only real burst of colour.   I am, of course, being very picky and opinionated.  All of these elements added to the overall humour of the piece and I can see the reasons why they were used; I’m just not sure if I agree or not.  Despite this, I loved the brilliant humour that was brought to this production.  It kept the audience entertained throughout.  I also loved the storytelling.  I have missed the story in other productions – but this one!  All actors were well directed in their storytelling and embodiment of character and visually it was very good.

Musical Direction (Ed Nurse) was excellent.  I loved the orchestra!  The blend between the different sections was brilliant and I was thoroughly pleased to hear, and appreciate, the different sections.  My particular favourites were the flute, saxophone and bass but a massive well done to Ed and his team for all of their work on this score.

Choreography was by Vanessa Cockburn (and Heidi Cook).  Overall, I was pleased with the choreography of each number.  It was appropriate and enhanced both the traditional elements and the style whilst adding to the overall humour too.  I liked the choreography during Go, Go, Go Joseph and Potiphar best.

Costumes, props and make up were generally very good.  As I mentioned before, I really didn’t like the black middle eastern costumes for the females, along with the cheerleader’s costumes but this is just a personal choice and they didn’t impact negatively on the overall show.  All other costumes were appropriate and appreciated.  I was impressed with Joseph’s finale coat and the extension of his coat during the Megamix.  Well done to Thelma Sims and Nick Dabbs for their wonderful creations.  The set was basic and static throughout but used well.  I liked the use of levels and you used the set appropriately for the different numbers.

Lighting was excellent!  I loved the choice of colours used, gobos and moving heads.  The small, thin beams that created spots on the floor and the gobos of the jail cell on the floor were greatly appreciated.  I also adored the rainbow coloured lights that projected onto the back cyclorama – well done to the lighting team.  For me, the lighting design and operating was outstanding!

I was a little underwhelmed with the sound.  Some of the mics were turned on far too high (The Narrator’s) and some struggled to work at all (Jacob’s).  I found that the blend between cast, orchestra and the audience was not cohesive and when the band were playing, I struggled to hear some of the cast.  This may be down to the fact that cast were wearing their mics on their head, rather than having head mics (on their face).  I also appreciate that acoustically, it is very difficult to create a great overall sound due to the room design.  Don’t get me wrong, the sound wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t as amazing as the lighting.

The main protagonist of this piece needs to have charm, vulnerability and a great stage presence and Luke Clayton did not disappoint.  Luke has a beautiful tone to his voice and I loved some of the runs and trills that he added to make this role personable to him.  Luke did well to tell his story and he had a great rapport with his fellow actors.  Luke was certainly well cast in this role - well done Luke!

The Narrator was played by Vanessa Shields.  Vanessa has a lovely tone to her voice and she sang beautifully.  At times, I struggled to hear the story as the band were a little loud and Vanessa needed to project a little more.  I also would’ve preferred a little more belt in some of the numbers, but the audience loved her performance. 

Jacob was played by John O’Brien.  For me, John looked a little too young to play the Dad of some of the older sons.  John also lacked truth, story-telling and vocality.  It didn’t help that his microphone wasn’t working properly.

Potiphar was played by Brian Sumner.  Brian certainly looked the part and worked well physically, but I was a little underwhelmed with his roar and disapproval of Joseph.  I felt that he needed more anger and energy to convey how angry (and evil) he was.

Pharaoh was brilliantly played by Stephen Clayton!  Stephen had the right amount of sass, stage presence and comedy skills to portray this role.  He had the audience thoroughly entertained throughout and we all loved his performance.  I’m not sure if his son (Luke-Joseph) should be pleased or embarrassed but I loved Stephen’s performance.  He was brilliantly cast in this role!

The female actors did very well in their storytelling and were well cast.  Along with the dancers, the females were used very well throughout.  It’s not normally the case with Joseph so it was pleasing to see how much the female cast were used.  I could hear some lovely harmonies in there but was disappointed that more females were not mic’d.  Joseph is a show that relies heavily on Sopranos’.   I felt that some of the Soprano’s needed a little more work – but again, I’m being very picky, and this is just a personal opinion.  A special mention goes to Helen Lawrence for her funny version of the baker – you made the audience howl – well done!

One of the highlights for me were the men.  I loved the brothers!  I felt that they had a great rapport with each-other and worked very well throughout.  I loved the humour they brought to this piece and they were great storytellers – especially through song.  Particular highlights for me was ‘Those Canaan Days’ and ‘Benjamin Calypso’.  Brilliant singing and storytelling from Simeon (Ivor Farley) and Ruben (Andrew Lee).  Well done to the whole team of brothers (including the two women).  You kept me thoroughly entertained throughout and performed brilliantly.

Overall, I was very pleased with this production.  Highlights were the storytelling, vocals and humour, along with the lights!  I was also pleased to see a sell out crowd.  It was thoroughly deserved.   I thank AWMTC for their kind hospitality and wish them all the very best for their next production. 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.