Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat At Sheffield Lyceum Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by Jenny Bray

This was the first musical that Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice launched in theatres. It has been around since 1968, when they were initially asked to produce it for a school concert! It was then revised several times from being an initial 22 minute show to being the full production by 1974. It has won several awards and even launched the tv series ‘Any Dream Will Do’ to find a new singer to play Joseph in the early 2000s. Considering that it is based on a story from the bible, albeit quite loosely based and embellished, it’s quite impressive that it has lasted so long.

This was the musical that first got me into musicals when I was young. I could probably have sung along to almost all of it word for word. There were various points throughout the show that I had goosebumps!

Joseph was played by understudy Davide Fienauri tonight, who usually plays Napthali. His vocals were amazing and it’s hard to think that he usually plays a much smaller role. The highlight songs of the show for me both came from him, in ‘Close Every Door To Me’ and ‘Any Dream Will Do’ and he owned that multi coloured coat when swishing it around the stage.

Joe McElderry was Pharoah. When he was on stage he was every bit the flashy pharaoh, even with a cloak on that said ‘The King’ in sparkles on his back. He didn’t take the usual ‘Elvis’ approach to the role but was equally as entertaining and engaging.

There were several children in this production, more so than other versions that I’ve seen where they would be backing singers rather than playing any main parts. Some of Joseph’s brothers were depicted by young boys wearing fake beards. Potiphar is also played by a child. The wider use of children partly worked, although one of the youngest boys was overacting so much it made me giggle every time he was on stage. However, it meant that some songs didn’t quite have the same impact. When Joseph was in jail the butler and baker who asked him to decipher his dreams were played by children and it meant that, although the children playing the parts were good, their voices didn’t quite have the same impact as if the parts had been covered by adults with a wider vocal range. I’m not convinced that the use of children for some of Joseph’s brothers worked that well either, although it did make it a bit more light hearted when they were getting rid of Joseph.

I think the fact that Joseph was played by someone who would normally be a brother may have confused them as there were 12 brothers on stage at one point after the interval, not 11. They soon corrected this though.

The narrator, Christina Bianco, was very animated and her role intertwined with others so she was always deeply involved in the story. She also played some other parts along the way, including Joseph’s father Jacob, the jailer and Potiphar’s wife. I can see why this was done, but it didn’t quite gel for me in all roles. As Jacob, she added a cloak and beard then had to lower the beard when back to being narrator. She also brought out a mobile phone and took a selfie at one point. While I understand wanting to keep the show up to date, this looked a bit odd and seemed unnecessary for something set in biblical times.

The stage setting was fairly simple for most of the show, with a sun and fields which changed colour. However, when it was the Pharoah’s home it was suddenly very glamorous with lots of gold, drapes with hieroglyphics on and even a large gold statue of Anubis at the side of the stage, with eyes that lit up red and mouth that moved to sing with the song!

The costumes were mainly quite bright and bold, covering all the main bright colours that are on Joseph’s coat. I particularly liked the gold outfits for Pharoah’s entourage.

Just before the break, when Joseph is still chained up in jail, there was a slightly random cheerleader type section where Joseph was suddenly free and people were cheering him on in rainbow outfits. However, after the interval he was back in chains in jail, so it didn’t quite fit.

The Lyceum is in the centre of Sheffield and is easy to find. If you park in the Charles Street Q Park, you can get a voucher from the theatre for the first hour free. Street parking in the local area is currently fixed at £2 from 4.30 until the metres stop at 8.30, which is a cheaper option if you can find a space.

The audience was a full mix of ages, with lots of young children enjoying the show. There was a ‘mega mix’ at the end with all the cast which was essentially most of the songs revisited but condensed into a few minutes. This was an opportunity for the audience to stand up and join in, which everyone did. Recording was encouraged for this bit, so this section can be seen on YouTube if searched up and you want to get a better idea of the show before attending.

I love this musical but I didn’t love this version quite as much as others I have seen, for the reasons I have mentioned. It’s still a great family friendly musical and well worth seeing. I therefore rate it;

Rating: 4/5

Tickets cost from £15 to £60.50

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is on at the Sheffield Lyceum between 8th and 12th July 2025.

For more information or to book tickets, visit www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk or call the Box Office on 0114 249 6000

Sheffield Theatres, 55 Norfolk Street, Sheffield, S1 1DA