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Theatre Royal, Norwich By IAN CLARKE September 3, 2002 As Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is my all-time favourite musical, I take some impressing when I go to watch Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's masterful creation performed on stage. Since a few dozen reluctant parents first enjoyed it as a 20-minute school play way back in 1968, the production has seen incredible success and many of the nation's best-known celebrities have played the title role. The wonderful story of Jacob's favourite son's fall and rise after being taken as a slave to Egypt still packs in the crowds. And so it was at last night's opening show in Norwich with a near full house at the Theatre Royal. Arvid Larsen was marvellous as the lead, showing off a wonderfully powerful voice and great stage presence. The part of narrator is arguably the production's toughest and Vivienne Carlyle was superb. No good Joseph performance is complete without a strong Pharaoh and the audience loved Andy Lingfield especially when they heard he had only arrived on Saturday to stand in for Trevor Jary, who has been taken ill. One of the highlights of the evening was when he improvised beautifully to a shout of "more please" from a young voice in the stalls. The show had everything. There was a dazzling rainbow of colours, breathtaking energy, lovely touches of humour and non-stop action. Even when Any Dream Will Do the 18th of the well-known songs was over, the cast was not finished. They brought the audience to their feet, got them dancing and clapping in the aisles and singing along as they went through a 10-minute reprisal. So was I impressed? It was more than impressive. It was awesome. Copyright © 2002 Archant Regional. |
Go, go, go - and see Joseph .... Arvid Larsen in his dazzling coat of many colours With great songs and lots fun, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat has always been one of Katy Lewis's favourite musicals. It still is - but for the first time Katy is on the side of the brothers! First seen in 1968, the show has smashed box office records around the world and, judging by last night at the Wycombe Swan, it is still a firm favourite with audiences. Retelling the Biblical story of Joseph, his eleven brothers and the coat of many colours, the show is packed with non-stop action, laughter, infectious fun and some immortal tunes including Any Dream Will Do, Close Ev'ry Door To Me and One More Angel that will ensure that you sing all the way home. Classic With loads of catchy songs in many different styles, those classic Rice lyrics and rhymes, it's easy to see why Joseph is still hugely popular, more than 30 years after it was first conceived. But maybe I'm getting old, or maybe I just think about things a bit more now, but last night I began to realise what an arrogant little toe rag Joseph actually was! Frankly, if he'd been my brother, I'd have left him in the pit! Just how annoying can one man be? The favourite of the family (and he knows it), he rambles on about his dreams all the time which indicate that he will grow up to be a lot more important than his brothers - thus obviously endearing himself to them - NOT. Flaunts And if that's not enough, he flaunts his new coat in front of his siblings while they have to dance around in dungarees a la Rod, Jane and Freddy. He then smarms his way into running Egypt and when his family come and ask for help he frames his little brother and threatens him with a lifetime of imprisonment before revealing his true identity. How cruel is that?! Personally, I blame the father. Jacob clearly has a lot to learn about parenting. Giving one child a lovely coat, while dressing the others out of a charity shop is asking for trouble in my opinion! Talented Don't get me wrong though - I still enjoyed this musical very much and would like to point out that my new interpretation has nothing to do with any of the performers, who were a very talented ensemble and clearly look liked they were really enjoying themselves. A mood which spilled out into the audience. Arvid Larsen as Joseph has that fresh faced boyish charm and exuberance that carries him to the top of the pile (or rather diverts everybody's attention from his Machiavellian tendencies!) and his clear, pure voice was a joy to hear. Vivienne Carlyle was a delightful narrator and Trevor Jary's cheeky Elvis style Pharaoh brought the house down. All the brothers and handmaidens were lively and well-drilled and performed superbly in the face of what seemed like about 100 costume changes. I could just imagine the pandemonium back stage! All in all, this is a feel-good musical that will have you tapping and humming along with a smile on your face. It's the perfect treat for all the family and if you're looking for the perfect first theatrical experience for your child, then this has exactly the right ingredients. jude, manchester Thurs 24 October, 2002 Worth seeing for every cast members performance. Mandy , Woking Mon 28 October, 2002 I saw the Saturday matinee (26/10/02). A bit of a Joseph veteran, I have one or two previous performances with which to compare Saturday's show. As usual, Trevor Jary and Vivienne Carlisle gave faultless performances. I had hoped to see Arvid Larsen, but Lee Waterworth as Joseph did not disappoint. |
