Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Birmingham Hippodrome Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Becky B
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is almost a national institution and so although I felt I knew the story, I had never actually seen this colourful musical, so I was really pleased to have the opportunity to review this, along with my teenage daughter who had never seen a musical before. We saw Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Birmingham Hippodrome theatre, and the performance was captioned, which was excellent for anyone with hearing loss or just wanting to follow the lyrics more closely.
The musical written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, is set in biblical times and tells the story of Joseph, the favourite son of Jacob whose eleven brothers plot to get rid of him after he is gifted an amazing technicolour coat by their father. The musical tells the story of how Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt, before an unfortunate event lands him in jail. Joseph is saved from his life as a prisoner, when it is revealed, he has an incredible ability to interpret dreams, which grants him special treatment from the Pharaoh when he saves Egypt from years of famine. Joseph then has the chance to take his revenge upon his brothers, but will he or will he instead choose to save their lives?
The story is told by the narrator, played by Christina Bianco for me was the absolute star of the show and that is a huge compliment as the standard was high, but whether singing, dancing or acting, she bought each scene to life and was the glue that joined everything together. The entire cast had fantastic energy and a great chemistry. Other notable performances were from Pharo (Matt Slack), who was clearly an audience favourite with his Elvis inspired number and comedy, and of course, the main man, Joseph, played by Adam Filipe who was on point with every note. It should also be said that the young cast, many of whom were undertaking their first theatre performance gave faultless performances!
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a feel-good musical with something for everyone. There are so many genres of music and dance and a good dose of humour throughout. The music is mainly upbeat, and you can’t help but tap your foot or clap along with the numbers.
I was really impressed with how lighting and drapes were used throughout the musical to set the scene, this seemed simple but effective and with the stars gracing the proscenium the audience were transported to Canaan. After the short interval, the set was transformed into ancient Egypt, with some of the best scenery I have seen on stage, complete with a giant golden Anubis and hieroglyphics!
The orchestra, complete with their own electric guitarist were outstanding! Their performance was seamless, and the medley played after the interval was especially good. It was so wonderful to have a live orchestra as part of the performance and the audience clearly appreciated this too as we would clap (and even sing) along.
The evening came to an end following a fantastic encore medley from the cast and orchestra that got the entire audience (even my reticent teenage daughter) up on their feet, singing and dancing along and we left on a high! I can’t recommend this new performance of Joseph enough, weather you are seeing it for the first time, or going back to a favourite, you will not be disappointed! Joseph is a technicolour extravaganza for your senses!
I would rate Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat 5/5!
Rating: 5/5
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat runs from Friday 23rd May – Sunday 1st June 2025. Tickets are available from £26 from www.birminghamhippodrome.com or telephone: 0844 338 5000.
Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre, Hurst Street, Southside, Birmingham B5 4TB