Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - Norwich Theatre (30.04.2025)

Guest review by Hannah Smith

Joseph... has been enthralling audiences for over 50 years now and from the excitable hum in the audience that rippled through the room from the first bars of the overture, it appeared this audience would be no exception.

I’ll confess, this was this reviewer’s first time seeing a professional version of the show, although like everyone who grew up in the UK in the 90s, the story and songs are hardwired into us from primary school. There have been some updates to this production, with more involvement from the children in the cast, who took on several roles, including Joseph’s brothers and Potiphar. This definitely gave it more of a ‘school production’ vibe at times.

This, alongside the narrator’s use of a mobile phone and casually holding a takeaway coffee for some scenes might have felt slightly jarring. However, once you give in to the concept and remember that this is a show where Pharoah essentially performs an Elvis tribute, then everything chaotically makes more sense.

Adam Filipe does a solid job of playing Joseph but came into his own with a beautifully raw and emotional rendition of Close Every Door. Other standouts were Will Haswell, as Simeon leading Those Canaan Days, whose magnetic stage presence and excellent vocals never wavered once even during his most energetic moments. Alex Woodward as Pharoah was also excellent and managed to maintain a commanding sense of power even whilst dressed as Elvis - not an easy feat, I imagine.

But the star of the show was undoubtedly powerhouse Christina Bianco as The Narrator. With a performer like Bianco, you know you’re in safe hands as she expertly drives the show from scene to scene with magnificent vocals, heaps of stamina and incredible infectious energy. She also multi-roled several parts, showing off her comedy chops donning a beard to play Jacob, much to the audience’s delight.

A special mention must go to the set design, which made interesting use of curved walls and coloured scarves in the first half but excelled itself in Act 2 with spectacular towering gold pillars and statues (that sang along!) as we entered Pharoah’s palace.

The final part of the show was the moment the excitable audience had been waiting for, a chance to join in, sing and dance through a sea of confetti streamers and a megamix of the songs of the evening. It made for a very exhilarated and energetic ending with an atmosphere that carried out of the theatre and into the street.

If I entered the theatre slightly skeptical about my evening, I left completely converted, swept up in the colourful, joyful and comforting experience that is Joseph...

It continues at Norwich Theatre Royal until 10th May.