Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, The Palace Theatre, 3 out of 5
JOSEPH and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat may be 40 years old now, bit it's still attracting theatregoers in their hordes.
There was barely a spare seat in the stalls of the Palace Theatre on Monday night and the circle looked equally busy.
But I wonder if the box office appeal of this production is down to the fact that it features three of the contestants from Any Dream Will Do?
That was the BBC show that saw hopefuls from across the country compete for the chance to play Joseph in the West End. Taking on the role on press night was Craig Chalmers, who, with his blond hair, blindingly bright smile and baby smooth chest reminded me more of Rocky from the Rocky Horror Show rather than Joseph. What he lacks in charisma he makes up for with a decent but not remarkable singing voice.
For me, the performance of the night comes from Keith Jack who definitely gets my vote as the Narrator. He beats Chalmers hands down when it comes to stage presence and fellow ADWD contestant Chris Barton is really good as Benjamin.
The score may be crude and totally devoid of subtlety, but my goodness, it's catchy, isn't it? I bet you'll be humming at least one of the tunes as you head for your interval tipple or your interval ice cream. And the Elvis inspired Pharoah, played with just the right amount of swagger by Wayne Smith, still brings the house down.
advertisement
I couldn't help feeling though, that every expense had been spared on this production. But hey, who cares, Joseph is feel good theatre at its best and this show will probably still be packing them in 40 years from now. If you're planning to introduce the kids to live theatre, Joseph is still an ideal choice. Rick Bowen
n Until Saturday. Pictured: Craig Chalmers
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
Print
Email this
Comment
