Theatre Review: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (UK Tour) - New Wimbledon Theatre ✭✭✭

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

New Wimbledon Theatre

Tuesday 29th October 2013: I've worked on a fair few productions and tours of Joseph in my time, I know the show well, and back in the day it was a fun show to watch. There have been some great Joseph's - Richard Swerrun. Good Joseph's - Phillip Schofield. Not bad Joseph's - Jason Donovan. And then there's the down right let down Joseph's - Ian 'H' Watkins from Steps fame!

Goodness me, what a badly cast main part this is - he can't hit the high notes, although he does try bless him, his face looks like a bulldog licking a nettle when he is trying to hit said notes. There was no energy from him, 'Close Every Door' had no harmonies and was straight(!) text book singing - after hearing it for the third time in the show I was ready to and down a pint of tequila to drown my sorrows. If this wasn't enough, at the end of the five hour long megamix at the end, it went all panto stylee with 'H' giving his shrieking whooo's as if it were a Steps concert - I mean, come on lad, give us a break!

Any way, back to the rest of the show, it didn't start off well. I'm not one for overtures at the best of times, yet a six minute long Joseph overture at the top of Act One is stretching it far too much, even for me. I get bored at looking at a front cloth to see how many different colours it can be lit in. Go back to the original, with dry ice, narrator singing a prelude and cut the rubbish of the overture - save us all.

I was hoping the narrator would be a saving grace in this production, and as much as Jennifer Potts is a great singer, the direction and choreography given to her in this show is no help at all for her to shine through. I did struggle at times to hear her vocals as the sound quality overall was was just far too quiet - I could hear people talking a few rows back from me - in a musical! I was more interested in their conversations to be honest than what was being displayed in front of me.

There is also an addition of a new song to the fray for the Pharoah called 'King of my Heart' - it serves no purpose to the show what so ever and is mind numbingly boring - CUT!

The one thing that does the show any justice are the brothers - they look good, have energy, and when I could hear them they sounded good. Again they are let down by some awful choreography, but if that's what you have to work with, then so be it.

A very average show at that to be honest, the audience seemed to like it, and thats the main thing - it's entertaining in a way. But should this ever grace the West End again, it needs a complete overhaul, as does the current tour.

Three stars (and I'm being kind) ✭✭✭

For more details and tickets go to http://www.kenwright.com/index.php?id=638