Joseph and the amazing technicolour dreamcoat

Oh what a wonderful welcoming arrival greeted me in Dereham on the evening of the 4th October 2022 for the performance of Joseph and his amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on Gala night for Dereham Theatre Company after my journey from Lowestoft.
Joseph is a story from the bible of the rise of the 11th son of Jacob from a lowly Canaanite existence as a boy, to a life of luxury in Egypt as advisor to the Pharoah, through his dreams. A well known and much loved Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice Musical.
The Narrator (MIchael Stoker) is usually a female part, but seeing a male gave it an enjoyable twist and Joseph a demanding role, which was capably executed by Joseph Reed!! I liked the mix of girls/boys for the brothers using all members of the company and their facial expressions especially in the coat of many colours song were excellent. Jacob/Potiphar/Pharoah (Lee Chapman) approached these characterisations with a dedication to make them all very different. I would mention that the whole cast inspired a truly animated, enthusiastic and bright entertainment, using their talent and skill to produce a refreshing production of this popular show.
The director (Ben Francis) Musical Director (Helen Cowie) and Choreographer (Danielle Standing) kept the plot going with pace and involved all the cast in a traditional approach to Joseph , giving a real feel for the era.
The set, props and furniture also fitted well to the staging and I would like to particularly mention the costumes. The brothers had individual colours and I was impressed with the co-ordination of extras, down to the cowboy hats, Hawaiian shirts, the sacks even down to the shoes. I would have preferred this colour-coding to stretch to the Pharoah scene to ensure the characters were clear.
It was a clever idea to form backdrops with the projector displaying the various scenes. One of my favourite scenes was those Canaan days very effective and thought out. I also enjoyed the modern take on the Ishmaelites. Just a small point to mention when leaving the stage with a prop it needs to be given to the crew out of sight of the audience.
This was a “smiley” show with “smiles” galore both from the cast and the audience and I was “smiling” all the way home. An extremely happy and entertaining evening. Congratulations to you all.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.