Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – Worthing Pavilion Theatre

Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber

Lyrics: Tim Rice

Director: Bill Kenwright

Reviewer: Jenni Dixon

The Public Reviews Rating:

Joseph tells the story of a young man who is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and his journey through biblical times and his ability to interpret dreams. Those in the know will recognise this production from the one which was in London during the time when Phillip Schofield and Jason Donovan were playing the lead role.

The production itself has very much a tongue in cheek feel with the lighter comedic elements being brought to the fore. Bill Kenwright better known by many as a Theatre Producer rather than director lends the production a playful bounce to its rhythm with sight gags and cheeky audience interplay at it core.

The production is uncertain of its place and seems to move between lavish West End musical and end of the pier family entertainment. The performances on the whole are enjoyable with particular merit going to Trina Hill who, playing the Narrator brings punch and energy to what can be a flat role. The vocal abilities she demonstrates are a clear by product of not only talent but a clearly high level of theatrical training and experience.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the lead Craig Chalmers, who while possessing the boyish good looks required for Joseph, does not however have a strong enough voice for what is considered to be one of the lightest male roles European Musical Theatre. There are considerable issues with pitching and vocal control. It appears that there is a considerable difference between singing as part of a pre-recorded TV show and doing the same for six nights a week live. While there were some plus points and there is a charm to the lead, charm will only get you so far and in the end there must be a solid base of technique to ensure longevity in Musicals today.

Other notable performances were scattered through the cast and the company worked hard to ensure that the piece moved with verve and enthusiasm alongside the already mentioned comedic elements which peppered the piece ensuring the tone never dropped below the bright and breezy.

The design of the production by Sean Cavanagh is very much in keeping with the shows tone and the economical fun settings were vital to the quick fire necessity needed for this sort of musical. The stage at the Pavilion is compact to say the least but the sets made clever use of the limitations imposed upon the production by the venue. I would be interested to see how much more the designer could bring to the production in a larger venue.

The sound and lighting design were again limited by the restrictions of the small space and it seemed that a full rig of lighting was unused throughout the performance. However the technical elements did add the required wow factor with some basic theatre tricks more than adding the necessary sparkle to the piece.

The choreography was again limited but more than fulfilled the brief of high energy spectacle for the production but again a larger space would have afforded the audience a much more immersive experience.

The Pavilion is a lovely venue, a space with massive potential and one which, granted does cater for a very specific market. However at the risk of sounding like a theatre snob, the more discerning audience does get the sense that with a little more consideration they could be doing so much more with the exciting space within the venue. I feel that while this production is spot on for some light hearted family entertainment, there will come a time when this venue will need to diversify if it wants to survive in what is the most competitive element of the arts ‘industry’. Overall a vibrant and funny piece of “pop-corn” theatre.