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North Wales Pioneer Online A COLOURFUL LIFE HE´S AN East Lancashire lad done good. Andrew Derbyshire left his home in Burnley to study at drama school in London, then worked as a holiday camp Blue Coat and tried, but failed, to get through to the finals of the last Pop Idol competition. But it was at a Pop Idol audition that the fickle finger of fate pointed at him and Andrew was spotted by the musical director of a new musical - We Will Rock You - who thought he would be perfect addition to the cast of the show, based around Queen´s best known songs. Next thing he knew, Andrew was meeting and becoming friends with Queen guitarist Brian May and was even introduced to acting legend Robert De Niro, the show´s financial backer. After playing the lead role of Galileo for three months and appearing in both Hollywood and Broadway, Andrew has slipped on the coat of many colours as Joseph, the lead role in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, which will be at the North Wales Theatre from September 15 to September 20. "I am enjoying the tour, although after my six months with Joseph is up I won´t be wearing the coloured coat anymore.," he said. "I´ve always wanted to be a solo performer and since I´ve got to know Brian May, who has helped me such a lot, he´s working on some songs for me and then we´ll go looking for a record deal, which is the easiest part - the hardest is coming up with the tracks in the first place. "I´ve really enjoyed doing the musicals though. Working in this industry is something that´s been my dream since day one. When I was a Blue Coat in Blackpool I would do 195 hours a week for £85, but I absolutely loved it - although I didn´t like dressing up as a crocodile and being kicked by children particularly! "Being down in London and meeting famous people and going to parties doesn´t really make any difference to me. In the end, it is all a big show." Although Andrew himself isn´t impressed easily by the stars, his family gets a bit more excited. "When they came to see me in We Will Rock You, Brian May came into my dressing room for a bit. One of my uncles is a massive Queen fan and he couldn´t believe that he was in the same room as Brian." His mum is so proud of Andrew´s success that she keeps a scrapbook of the 21-year-old´s press cuttings - and he hopes to soon add to the ever growing book with news of a hit single and album. "Through Brian I have met some really good people in the music business and learnt a lot about making music and with lots of help I hope to crack the charts. "If I hadn´t have gone up for Pop Idol I wouldn´t have been spotted for a part in We Will Rock You, met Brian May or got Joseph. Things have just worked out for the best in the end, after a lot of hard work though. *Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, is probably one of the most popular musicals of all time. Set in the land of Canaan, it tells the Biblical tale of Joseph, who is sold as a slave by his 11 brothers, who are jealous because their father chose him to receive the coat of many colours. Joseph goes to work for a wealthy Egyptian merchant, Potiphar, where he is rapidly promoted. However, his luck is soon to run out as Potiphar´s evil wife tries to seduce him and he finds himself in a prison cell, needless to say there is a happy ending and a valuable lesson to be learnt. Packed full of catchy, foot-tapping tunes including Any Dream Will Do, Close Ev´ry Door to Me and One More Angel. With the liveliest, most energetic company of actors, singers and dancers you´ll ever see, Joseph is brimming with non-stop action, laughter and infectious fun that is sure to delight the young and the young at heart. © North Wales Newspaper Ltd. |
JOSEPH'S NEW CLOTHES SUIT THE MUSICAL JUST FINE Bristol Evening Post 23 September 2003 Bill Kenwright presents Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Bristol Hippodrome TO those seeing this show for the first time - and there were many youngsters in the audience - this was a magical evening. To those seeing it for the umpteenth time, it's a classic dressed in new clothes. This, the first and in many ways the best, Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical has acquired yet another "new suit of clothes", with some of the choreography given a more aggressive, modern look and interesting and attractive new lighting effects. The arrangement of the much-loved score - and there are more hummable numbers per yard in this show than any other Lloyd Webber offering - has only been altered to accommodate the over-dominance of keyboard sounds. But with Tim Rice's wonderfully clever, witty lyrics on hand, each varying style of number comes up as fresh as new paint. Andrew Derbyshire takes over the mantle of Joseph and does the role proud. Apart from a few moments when clarity was sacrificed for speed, power or a quiet effect, Amanda Claire fulfilled her role as narrator in fine style. "I've read the book, " she tells Joseph, but alas not everyone has and we needed those lost words. The Brothers moved easily from one musical mood to another, hoedown to calypso and, my favourite, the haunting French-inspired Those Canaan Days. As the years go by and "The King", Elvis Presley, is less familiar to the younger members of the audience, perhaps it's inevitable that for all his splendid gyrations, Michael Quinn's Elvis-like Pharaoh made less impact than some of his predecessors. This bright, talented young company breathes plenty of new life into what has become a classic. Their efforts will not disappoint the show's legions of fans. © Northcliffe Electronic Publishing Ltd. |
