Joseph and the Amazng Technicolor Dreamcoat

The Minack Theatre has its own beauty and many groups acknowledge this by restraining the amount of artificial set laid against its stone arches, pillars and platforms, and it looked as if this production team had shared that idea, because we were faced with a somewhat barren backdrop for this show, so different from the screens used in the society's home theatre, which are able to provide highly detailed and vibrant scenes.  The roundel (raised stone platform at SR) was dressed with two battens carrying full-length rainbow-coloured strips of fabric hanging like shredded curtains, which allowed for access between them, and baskets and skips were introduced at the very start of the show to stay as set dressing throughout, craftily providing storage and collection points for smaller hand props and items of costumes that would be needed.  Given the minimal backing for the show the scenes were able to flow in a rapid sequence that didn’t hold up the action but equally did nothing to help suggest the locations.  I attended an evening performance and for most of the show there was still enough daylight to limit my appreciation of the lighting plot, which I’m sure had been meticulously designed.  It was well into the second act before effects became visible when glowing golds welcomed Jacob In Egypt before the transition using into ice blues at the start of Any Dream Will Do/Give Me My Coloured Coat morphed into a rainbow. The dramatic cross lighting and the riot of pulsating colours in the Megamix was a fitting end to highlight the technicolor parachute extension to the Coat!   Overall the sound quality was unexpectedly good.  It’s not easy in this outside venue and there was quite a lot of wind over the mics that sounded like thunder rolling.  The majority of the time I felt there was a comfortable balance between music and vocals, and the voices came through clearly, evidence of effective coaching of diction in the rehearsal period.  

Props were introduced minimally to support the narrative - Two camels appeared, painted and harnessed they entered only a few metres onto the stage before being pulled off backwards.  It seemed a shame that they couldn’t be turned to go off forwards.  We saw draw-string purses of money change hands as Joseph was tethered with a hefty rope, and the sacrificial goat, cleverly constructed to be stripped down to its skeleton, earned an appreciative ripple of applause.  Fragments of ripped coat were pulled from a skip, but not so hurriedly that we failed to see that they didn’t quite match the one Joseph had worn earlier.  A variety of cowboy hats appeared quickly for the Brothers’ celebration, and we saw Joseph shackled in substantial wrist chains.  Mrs Potiphar’s handmaidens waved eye-catching bright red ostrich plume fans adding a touch of glamour, and quite properly the Butler had a cloth over his forearm in a subtle underpinning of his working role. In homage to the influential King who had inspired the characterisation, Pharaoh carried a retro mic on a half-stand, which he used in a nostalgically typical manner to the delight of the audience.  Golden pom-poms were shaken à la cheerleaders in Stone The Crows (a couple of superfluous ones seemed to end up on stage but the nearby dancer thoughtfully threw them into the closest basket so no-one tripped) leading into the amusing French parody with a bicycle and string of onions poking fun at the quintessential Parisian cafe scene as Jacob sat in a deckchair.  The large sacks thrown to Joseph for passing to the Brothers were a good size for us to believe they held grain but the “precious golden cup” he planted in Benjamin’s was disappointingly small, looking grey in the light and rather insignificant - the clue’s in the lyrics!  And although there was no attempt to wow us with a “chariot of gold” the fabulous rainbow-coloured parachute that emerged at the end made a spectacular close to the show.  

What appeared to me to be a strange collection of costumes from start to finish dressed this production.  The mix of colours and random styles broadly separated the Children’s Chorus from the ensemble cast, and thereafter into Brothers and characters, but I found it hard to keep track of who was who.  The neon colours of the modern swirling tie-dyed T-shirts and matching caps worn by the young chorus seemed to bear no relation to the story or other costumes in style, period or colour scheme, so I imagine they were the “audience” for the storytelling by the Narrators.  I could understand splitting that single role so that four young ladies shared it but I felt that if they had been dressed alike in colour or style to separate them from the ensemble, instead of in disparate tops and bottoms that blended with the mass, it would have reinforced their ‘oneness’.  The Brothers, in sets of dungarees with T-shirts and baseball boots, tidily co-ordinated in colour top to toe, were linked together well enough to identify and everyone else in the ensemble seemed to be wearing a simple neutral base, earthy stripes typical of the Middle East, though there appeared to be no obvious uniformity, which could be changed with the addition of various coats and hats appropriate for the episodes of the tale.  So we briefly saw the Ishmaelites in elegant black veils and beaded caps, rustic sheepskin waistcoats for Jacob and his tribesmen, Potiphar, the wealthy property developer, in hurriedly-donned tail coat and top hat with his entourage in red satin and lurex while anomalously his wife wore traditional Egyptian dress!  The Butler and Baker showed their professions with black tails, and toque and sleeve protectors respectively, and Pharaoh’s gold cloak was cast aside to reveal a bejewelled Elvis jumpsuit, black quiff wig, and, rather delightfully, blue suede shoes, in perfect compatibility with our expectations of this particular pastiche.  The dancers around him in their half moon headdresses brought to the scene just a touch of the pizzazz I have long associated with Kidz.  Berets were donned for Those Canaan Days and Hawaiian shirts for Benjamin Calypso, both again matching the writers’ intentions to satirise the musical styles of those numbers.  Joseph stood out against the assortment of colours wearing white as a foundation that allowed quick changes to be rung as he travelled through his journey, notably his eponymous Dreamcoat, without the "golden lining” referred to …but it was wonderfully full and swirled about him impressively.   He was variously garbed in formal black tail coat as Potiphar’s manservant, a ragged shirt in jail, and a splendid usekh and cape as he reached his destiny as Pharaoh’s top advisor.  Hair was kept tidy in plaits to ensure it was off faces and was a firm base for the varied headwear, and make up was unremarkable being suitable for the lighting, the ages and the characters, although Jacob could have been aged a little.  The teaming of modern outfits with historic Israeli and Egyptian is a typical interpretation of this musical generally accepted by those who’ve seen the show before. However, in this case, I found the rather strange mixture undefining in shepherding the audience through its chapters by, for example, giving each a characteristic scheme of some sort to pinpoint the changes, particularly so with no changing scenery to assist.  This seemed an unusual departure by a Kidz R Us show renowned for their attention to detail in all departments.  This may be only my opinion having watched the work of 21 various production teams and will not have been picked up by the average Minack audience.  

It was fun to see the six-piece orchestra skipping across the stage into their tent, letting everyone know there were live musicians accompanying the show.  Unseen from thereon, their music could otherwise have been assumed to be a recording.  Between them a rich and full backing was created that sensitively supported the young singers without overwhelming them.  They particularly came into their own in the finale when the Megamix click track failed to play and the MD immediately took the decision to go without it, thus avoiding any hold up other than the short one covered manfully by Joseph extemporising like a true pro!  All four Narrators had pleasant-sounding tuneful voices and clear diction, which is so important when the lyrics carry the story as in this sung-through musical.  Joseph was also precise with his words, so often delivered while he’s on the move or there is a lot of action around him.  The contra-spinning concentric circles of Joseph’s Coat was performed well by all maintaining the shape, and Joseph’s Dreams displayed some detailed armography representing the waving sheaves of corn and the Brothers’ emerging plans with gestures derived from fighting actions.  The hoedown of One More Angel In Heaven was witty and properly exuberant as the entire cast joined in with the energetic hitch kicks and gallops of Country and Western dancing plus an accurately executed grand chain, which can only be rehearsed when everyone is present!  and there were the appropriate changes as Jacob appeared and the mood became sombre.  The lyrics invite Potiphar’s exaggerated dignity, and the strutting of his court was in contrast to the mimed indiscretions of his wife behind the burlesque fan dancers with use of rapidly changing locations on the stage to indicate their hurried nature.  Closing the first Act, Go, Go, Go Joseph captured the hopeful words and was another example of imaginative musical interpretation that used cartwheels and walk-overs together with kicks, turns, and lively chasses ending in a neatly timed tableau.  There were moments when the stepping patterns got out of sync, marching on the wrong foot, but this could be a result of rehearsing and performing in different spaces and not something I’ve noticed before when you’re in your own theatre with the same surface underfoot and familiar dimensions.  Act 2 started with a sung entr’acte that seemed to move the story backwards unnecessarily but gave the cast more time on stage and provided an opportunity for them to demonstrate some controlled smooth harmonies and counterpoint singing.  There was a good ‘belt’ from the Narrator in Poor, Poor Pharaoh that was impressive and Pharaoh’s movements of wide stance and hunched shoulders were well chosen to represent the icon.  The routine around him ended with a pair of well-balanced lifts before the obligatory encore of the send-up.  The Mexican Wave of the pom-poms in Stone The Crows was an appropriate action linking the ‘cheering’ at World Cup soccer matches to that of Joseph’s fans as he is released and moving up in the world.  It was a bit of a surprise to see an undisguised ‘Pharaoh’ reappear only moments later to perform a gentle apache dance with his partner in Those Canaan Days, albeit that the two did a commendable job with this notoriously dramatic and physical dance, both keeping impassive facial expressions in place throughout.  The Megamix rightly recapped all the numbers with singers and dancers moving in constantly switching formations and using all the levels available to dazzle with differing pictures.  Throughout, the singing was timely, tuneful and clear and the young people deserved the appreciative applause.  

It must be exciting, if a little daunting, to direct at this prestigious venue, a space that requires some more problem solving than the average theatre.  The audience seating is raked sharply, the backstage pathways are visible from the front, the stage is vastly wide with a misleading focal point of the roundel mini-stage that isn’t at centre and not forgetting that it’s in the open air meaning that, apart from being subject to the vagaries of the British weather, many lighting effects will not be visible until late in the evening!  Fortunately the history of training and nurture at Kidz R Us meant that most of the cast members had stage experience and a good foundation knowledge of stage awareness, and the Narrators and Joseph were well chosen to lead the company with good example.  All entrances and exits were timed to be efficient without queuing and the costume changes appeared quite promptly - though a little untidy for one or two, and it seemed a shame that Pharaoh had to sidle on and get into position with an apparent attempt at not being seen, which made him even more conspicuous before his deftly presented tribute song with distinguishing movements.   Many of the younger players had to remain on stage, sitting or kneeling on the concrete and with minor activity, for prolonged periods of time and are to be congratulated for their patience and active listening, with only occasional wriggles and twitches noticeable!   Those who were on and off might have been reminded to remain in character as they left the stage to traverse or return to the dressing rooms as a few were seen to ‘relax’, but, naturally, this wouldn’t be noticed until you’re in the venue and may not be visible from the lower seats at the front of the steeply raked auditorium.  The lack of any set was quickly forgotten because of the strength of the narrative, and the Minack’s own structure lent itself to the bleakness of a desert landscape and the stonework of palaces.  Full use was made of the width of the stage by moving the focal points of the action from area to area taking account of all sections of the audience and in full company numbers the various stone structures allowed for multi-level visual images of different sizes of groups and placements for pleasing variety.  Lively and well-coached choreography and rigorously rehearsed singing with clarity was very much to the fore of this production with perhaps less focus on the characterisations of the individuals playing some of the roles in the well known story.  Although the lyrics are telling the tale might there also have been encouragement to embody ‘your’ fate/mood physically and facially to reflect the emotions so powerfully written?   Nevertheless, we were treated to an evident sense of the fun of the piece, and the joy of experiencing through song and dance all the styles of music so brilliantly incorporated into two hours.  Is it any wonder that the show has become since its origin as popular as it remains and has made household names of its writers?  This enthusiastic company did everything asked of them and their ever-present energy endeared them to the audience as they romped their way through this glorious musical happening, thhough a tiny bit more concentration in getting unison moves absolutely together would have elevated the performance - it's worth remembering that wherever you are on stage there will always be someone with eyes on you.  They all very obviously enjoyed taking part and will have gained many happy memories.  I have to congratulate each and every one for learning and recalling in perfect synchronicity the names of 28 colours so that they were all clearly audible.  Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an uplifting show that brings a four thousand year old story to life in a warm and vibrant way with catchy tunes that show a sense of humour, cleverly intelligent lyrics and a cast list that can be adapted to suit any company and  I enjoyed my evening very much.

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