Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat

Based on the coat of many colours story within the Bible, this musical originally created in 1968 follows a young man, Joseph who is sold into slavery and left for dead. His brothers fear that he many no longer be alive, however Joseph is alive and encounters a series of wild adventures whilst meeting some fascinating people along the way. His journey identifies who he is and where his place is within the world.

Alnwick Stage Musical Society, did it again by producing a show that surpassed all expectations and it is a challenge to articulate in this report the show we witnessed on stage. It truly was absolutely perfect and this amateur production has been created by those in the local community. Your community will surely be very proud of you all.

The story was narrated by both Bekah Sayer and Grace Whitcombe. These two women led the show and never missed a beat. They had excellent stage presence and they worked in perfect partnership. Their voices were enchanting as well as captivating and they sang with such depth of feeling and emotion. A brilliant performance by you both.

The part of Joseph was played by Matthew Winter and he truly did take our breath away by his performance. Matthew has the ability to adapt himself to the various roles he plays, in this role he shone and you were outstanding Matthew. The applause from the audience attracted a rousing extended applause after his performance of Close Every Door. I am sure tears were shed it was so moving. You are a true star of the local theatre scene and your vocals and movement on stage was exceptional. Very well done.

Joseph’s brothers all brought their own talent and style to the stage. I felt that Andrew Fletcher as Asher gave a strong performance as did the whole ensemble in the performance of One More Angel in Heaven where the brothers tell their father Jacob (Stuart Archer) that his favourite son is dead. You captured the celebratory upbeat tone of fake grief that demonstrated how secretly thrilled you were to see Joseph gone. I loved the choreography of this country western style showstopper. Congratulations to all the brothers and to father too.

Andy Beaven brought down the house as the Elvis inspired Pharaoh, whilst musical director Peter Brown portrayed the perfectly quirky and eccentric Egyptian millionaire Potiphar. Potiphar’s seductive wife was played by Mariana Santiago and all three are to be commended for their performance. Mention must also go to the skills of dancer and choreographer Leonie Airlie. Your performance on stage was impressive and your skills and ability to choreograph a show so packed with energy are in no doubt. Congratulations Leonie, you did a fantastic job.

With an unusual set that was stripped back to black and white the stage was highly effective and with costumes that deviated from the biblical image of dress we witnessed a show where all of the attention focused on the performers and their talent that could rival that of the West End. Each cast member from the youngest to the oldest took their bows with the biggest grins on their faces, and you can truly see that they enjoyed performing it as much as we enjoyed watching it.

Joseph’s coat was neon-lit technicolour and was indeed a centre piece of the show. Meg Fletcher’s work explores identity and storytelling through clothing and she seized the opportunity to push this famous Dreamcoat in a new direction. The coat looked stunning and I am sure it left a memorable impression on the audience. Thank you for your skill and support for this production. Not so technical was Pharoh appointing Joseph as a leader in Egypt and I loved the hard hat and the clipboard look. Very 21st century and very amusing.

The director of this show was Claire Barber and Claire has directed an extravaganza that is difficult to describe in words. The young performers in the show were brilliant and so imaginatively cast. Their stage presence completed a show that never stopped from beginning to end with the transitions between entrance and exit of cast being seamless. I must give praise to Jan Turner who I know coordinated the challenge of ensuring the young performers arrived on stage as directed. Well done to all our young performers - you were amazing.

I would like to commend everyone who contributed to making this show such a resounding success. Peter Brown and his musicians sitting high above the stage gave us a striking musical extraveganza.  I had a wonderful evening and received a very warm welcome. After the show the audience were buzzing as it should be when leaving the theatre.  What more can I say except wow, wow, wow. Alnwick Stage Musical Society you smashed it.

 

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