Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat was recently in the news announcing a new West End production, so hearing the current touring version was in Cardiff, I was excited to go.
The first Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice musical to be performed publicly, the production retelling the Biblical story of Joseph, his 11 brothers and the coat of many colours, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2018 and remains as enduring as ever.
Jaymi Hensley (Joseph) in the UK tour of Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – UK Tour Photo by Pamela Raith Photography
Jaymi Hensley was outstanding as Joseph, playing him with a vulnerability and sweetness that makes the audience warm to him from the first moment he appears on stage. Once he began singing, he impressed with the quality of his voice.
The show also features a narrator who stays on stage for most of the performance. Trina Hill was likable in the role, managing to be in the centre of some scenes and perfectly blending into the background of others.
Trina Hill as The Narrator in the UK tour of Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – UK Tour Photo by Pamela Raith Photography
A versatile show with so many different elements, Joseph almost the whole cast to have their moment in the spotlight but also feels cohesive as everything comes together in many scenes.
The brothers have the best roles in the show as they can be seen doubling up to play other characters in other scenes. The brothers highlight of the evening came in the song One More Angel in Heaven where the brothers are telling their father that Joseph has been killed by a goat, putting on a pretense of being sad before their father by pulling an endless array of faces.
Filled with favourite songs such as Go, Go, Go Joseph, Any Dream Will Do, Jacob and Sons and Close Every Door To Me, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat delivers smiles all evening.
Don’t miss its run at Wales Millennium Centre which continues until Saturday May 18th.