Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat

Lyrics by Tim Rice and Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Performed by Crediton Operatic Dramatic Society (CODS) on 14th April 2025

Directed by Holly Harris

Musical Director – Simon Carter

Choreographer – Daisy Down

 

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a "sung-through" musical with few or no spoken lines and a challenge for any company. Holly Harris’ directorial debut, along with her musical director, Simon Carter and a talented choreographer Daisy Down produced a successful show full of joy, energy and all the colours of the rainbow represented in Joseph’s incredible coat.

Crediton Operatic and Dramatic Society’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was a vibrant, feel-good show that fully embraced the musical’s playful spirit. From the moment the overture began, the audience felt swept into a colourful, high-energy performance that celebrated both the humour and heart of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s much-loved musical and a true favourite of my own.

Produced in the round (well on three sides) with a professional orchestra of ten hidden behind the set, including the incredible Mr Carter on keys, the overture began with those familiar numbers from this iconic musical. The set was simple yet effective with stairs stage left and right, built above the orchestra were three pyramids in front of which was a walkway built over the central entrance to the stage, allowing quick transitions that maintained the show’s pace and momentum. The raised walkway edges were lit with various colours throughout the performance. A beautifully painted floor with swirls of brown and pink gave the appearance of sand and a square lighting rig above produced some impressive lighting effects.

At the centre of this production was a confident and engaging Joseph. This relatively young actor had strong vocals and stage presence and anchored the show by bringing real sincerity to the role while still matching the light-hearted tone of the piece. The stillness he used in his characterisation was impressive and drew the audience to him. Well done indeed. Jaimie.

The Narrator’s Dani and Vicky, both told the story of Joseph by guiding the audience smoothly through the story, delivering clear, expressive vocals and maintaining excellent rapport with both cast and audience.  Praise well deserved by you both.

The ensemble is one of this production’s greatest strengths. Bursting with enthusiasm, both the adult ensemble and the ten junior ensembles filled the stage with energy in every number, from the lively “Go, Go, Go Joseph” to the comedic highlights of the brothers’ scenes. The brother’s, wives and supporting roles were well cast. The ‘brothers’ of which there are eleven were played by both male and female actors, all created their own individual characters throughout and mastered the differing choreography, such as the hoedown in One More Angel. Various brother’s took solo lines in One More Angel in Heaven, Those Canaan Days and Benjamin’s Calypso - all gave strong, confident performances especially Sam as Asher in One More Angel, Owain as Judah in Those Caanan Days  and Erin as Gad in Benjamin’s Calypso. As was Mike, the actor playing Jacob, who relished being the Patriarch throughout. 

I must make mention of the junior choir/ensemble whom I watched carefully and every time they took to the stage, they acted and performed their socks off. Continuously engaging with the a very close audience which could have been intimidating but not for them. I was very impressed and delighted to see this as CODS junior company begin to grow.

Humour is essential in any production and particularly memorable was the actor playing Pharaoh, whose Elvis-inspired performance adds humour and charisma, drawing enthusiastic reactions from the audience. This was Richard’s first ever role and as a new comer to the stage, I congratulate him.  Supporting roles such as Potiphar and his wife were handled well and the Baker and The Butler both strong singers and dancers were lovely to watch and with clear diction too.

The choreography was clever yet simple and effective, making full use of a large adult ensemble and a host of wonderful dancers, keeping the performance visually engaging throughout. There were a number of standout moment such as Pharaoh’s Song with the gorgeous dancers dressed in gold pantaloons and silver feathered fans. A strong production, musically, with a well-balanced sound and clear commitment from the cast. The variety of musical styles, pop to calypso to rock and roll were handled with confidence by all and due to its diversity, it’s a score that any cast will enjoy performing. The overall sense of joy that radiated from the stage enthused the audience, it was infectious.

Visually, the show lived up to its “Technicolor” title with bright, creative costumes throughout, no mean feat for any wardrobe mistress but Dani Gwyn did a magnificent job with such a large cast. Pharaohs guards in Horus masks and Joseph’s magnificent coat that eventually covered the whole raised terrace in the finale, really impressive. 

The director, Holly Harris was clever with her staging and created a lively atmosphere, even within the limitations of a smaller-scale production such as the set becoming a French café simply with the cast staging five raised tables for the brothers to lean on and drink wine from with a centre table and chairs for Jacob to sit at.  I loved the beautiful simplicity of Close Every Door, Josephs’ iconic number with gorgeous backing vocals from the junior ensemble, lit with flickering candles carried by the ensemble. Clever and effective.

Crediton Operatic and Dramatic Society delivered an entertaining and uplifting production that captured the essence of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It’s a show that leaves the audience smiling, proving that community theatre, when performed with this much passion and commitment, is just as enjoyable as any large-scale production. At the end of the performance, I heard a number of the audience, as they left, saying what a wonderful evening they had had watching this lovely production and so did John and I.  I look forward to the next. Well done CODS.

Lyn Burgoyne

Noda Representative – District 5 Mid and East Devon.

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