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AMAZING JOSEPH CAPTIVATES AUDIENCE

NICK PUREWAL

08 March 2005

Classic family entertainment wowed the Grimsby Auditorium audience last night as Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat's week-long run got underway.

An audience of all ages was captivated by the Andrew Lloyd Webber show, with the cast pulling off a perfect opening night. The longest-running touring stage musical in the UK did not disappoint.

Well-known numbers Close Ev'ry Door To Me and One More Angel were well-received, but the finale topped the night for the warm crowd.

Any Dream Will Do closed the show, and the appreciative audience had obviously been waiting for the reprise of the famous number.

The story tells of Joseph's prophetic dreams which bring him troubles from his jealous brothers.

His 11 brothers sell him as a slave against his will, and he finds himself in Egypt.

But it is not long before word of his gift of dream interpretation spreads, and his luck takes a turn for the better.

Strong performances from Richard Swerrun, as Joseph, and narrator Abigail Jaye sped the action along.

Bright choreography, imaginative lighting and set-design combined to underpin the professional poise of the whole cast.

The music was tight, and was complemented by fantastic sound which reverberated around the Auditorium.

With a strong comic edge, the performance was high on energy and very fast-moving.

© Northcliffe Electronic Publishing Ltd.

© Grimsby Online 2005

© Grimsby Telegraph 2005

MUSICAL DOES NOT DISAPPOINT ITS FANS

12:30 - 08 March 2005

Smash-hit musical Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat opened at Grimsby Auditorium last night. Telegraph Reporter NICK PUREWAL asked the audience what they thought. John Haigh, from Cleethorpes, said: "I thought it was great. A really good family show."

Muriel Haigh, from Cleethorpes, said: "That was fantastic. We have seen it before at Blackpool, but it is one of those shows you can watch again and again."

Paul Macintyre (27), from London, said: "I have seen the show many times all over the country. It is a brilliant show, and the performance tonight was great. The setting was excellent."

Dave Chalmers (22), from Manchester, said: "I like to see touring shows when I can, and this was not too far to come. Joseph is a great show, and the production tonight has been very good."

© Northcliffe Electronic Publishing Ltd. 2005

© Grimsby Online 2005

© Grimsby Telegraph 2005

Hastings & St Leonards Observer, Friday, April 1, 2005.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

White Rock Theatre, Hastings

Review on Opening Night Monday March 29 2005

THE great English philosopher Thomas Hobbes once pithily observed that all human life is 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short'; but even that old curmudgeon had to admit that life offers rare moments when reality can raise itself to match the dream.

I suspect that just such a moment descended on the staff of the White Rock Theatre at about 9.40pm on Tuesday (March 29) as they watched a full-house slowly - reluctantly, even - emptying on to the dark and rainy seafront after the truly triumphant opening night of Joseph.

For the management of the town's premier entertainment venue it must have been a sweet moment indeed.

After all, they had just staged a hitch-free presentation of an internationally famous, Lloyd Webber-Rice show performed by a high-grade 'West End' cast to a packed auditorium who just couldn't get enough of what was happening down on the stage.

And if the great theatre producers' mantra of 'It's about bums on seats, luvvy ... bums on seats' remains the Holy Grail of theatrical pursuit, the White Rock has certainly struck gold with this offering.

I can't quite remember when I last saw the place crackling with such energy and delight - either on-stage or in the stalls.

Richard Swerrun was consummate in his charismatic portrayal of Joseph, the singing narration of Abigail Jaye paced the show perfectly and the ensemble playing of the magnificently choreographed cast was immaculate.

The smaller size of the White Rock leant an intimacy to the playing that might perhaps have been less easy to create in a home London theatre; in any event, the connection between cast and audience was struck instantaneously and never faltered.

It's one thing to see enjoyment in those watching a show, it's another to feel the pleasure and enjoyment of the performers themselves. Both were in abundance on Tuesday night.

The management of the White Rock Theatre deserve the highest praise for working hard to bring this scintillating show to Hastings.

The only question left in my mind was: when are we getting the next one?

Jeremy Wells