Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Joseph needs no introduction.  It was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly and is undoubtedly one of their best known and much loved collaborations. 

It tells the story of Joseph, the eleventh of the 12 sons of Jacob, and clearly his favourite.  He earns a reputation for interpreting dreams and telling the future and he is envied by his brothers.  Jacob gives him a multi-coloured coat to show his affection for him which Joseph flaunts in front of them, inciting their jealousy. The brothers (whose colourful names children are taught to recite, rather like “The Kings and Queens of England”) and their wives sell him as a slave and tell Jacob that he has been killed, producing the coat which they have torn to pieces and covered in (goat’s!) blood.  Joseph is taken to Egypt and bought as a slave by the wealthy Potiphar where he is promoted, eventually running the household.  Potiphar’s wife, beautiful but evil, takes a shine to him, which is not reciprocated, but when Potiphar sees them together he jumps to the wrong conclusion and throws Joseph into jail.  He interprets the dreams of his two fellow prisoners, one of whom returns to the service of the Pharaoh and the other is executed.  This gives him a credible reputation which eventually is his salvation.  His brothers fall on hard times and travel to Egypt where they beg for food from Joseph without recognising him.  He in turn sets them a test but realises they have changed and forgives them.  Jacob is sent for and is overjoyed at seeing his son again.  He returns the miraculously repaired coat of many colours to Joseph.

The show is sung throughout which requires strong voices in every role and this was fully achieved.  The Narrator delivered a confident introduction and maintained her pace and enthusiasm to the end.  From the moment Joseph opened his mouth to sing, I knew I could relax.  The brothers made a strong team and interacted well together, whilst each expressing their individual characters.  The huge supporting ensemble, with a number of the main cast taking second roles, were well disciplined, performing their moves with great skill under the superb direction of Choreographer Alison Chapman and Dance Captain Phoebe Barrow.  The set was simple without the advantage of proper stage wings but the ever changing projected backdrops of scenes from Egypt, the desert etc created just the right atmosphere.  The simple striped banners at one point, reflecting the colours in the technicolour dreamcoat, were a very clever idea.  Excellent use was made of the auditorium with the cast using the aisles to come and go to great effect.

Godalming Baptist Church lent itself beautifully to a stage show and was an inspired solution to the problem of GTG not being able to use their usual venue, the Ben Travers Theatre at Charterhouse, which is temporarily closed for refurbishment.  However, the amount of work which must have gone into adapting the space for a stage production cannot be underestimated.  The lighting gantries for a start were a feat of engineering.  And the band had to be located in a separate room removed from the stage, with only a visual link to the auditorium for the cast to follow. 

The projected backdrops set the different scenes brilliantly.  One truly ingenuous touch, brilliantly executed, was the waves of fabric carried over the heads of the audience from the back of the auditorium to the stage, reflecting the colours in Joseph’s cloak and recreating the iconic image from some of the original posters and artwork. 

I cannot imagine how Madeleine Gibb (who even performed in the Ensemble) and her team sourced and fitted the huge numbers of costumes which were constantly changing.  They were spectacular.  I loved the group of Ishmaelites with their sinister beards, the Egyptian costumes and wigs, the Pharoah’s Elvis outfit and wig.  The lighting was faultless, the band flawless.

How can I separate individual performances?  It’s impossible!  Inevitably the main characters stick in the mind but without exception every single member of the outstanding cast contributed to the overall outcome.  Joseph (Chris East) held the stage from the beginning, an accomplished performer and stand-out lead.  Some male members of the audience may have wished they had continued at the gym and stuck to a high protein diet when he appeared shirtless for much of Act I!  Jacob (David Dray) was an avuncular and kind hearted patriarch to his many sons of whom he was very proud.  A gem of a role and a joy to see David still treading the boards after 60 years’ association with GTG, having been one of the founders in 1964.  The Narrator (Abbey Addams) clearly enjoyed her energetic role as she skilfully negotiated her way around the story, leaping on and off the scaffolding.  Potiphar (Ferenc Hepp) and the Pharoah (Ben Dray) were memorable and Ben’s interpretation of Elvis was inspired with the perfect, genuine costume and hair. 

This was an exceptional show.  Congratulations to Director Keith Thomas for staging such a professional production which would not disgrace any West End stage.  Godalming Theatre Group never let us down.  A triumph.  What more can I say?

 

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