High octane extravaganza, with lively dance numbers and upbeat songs

Derby Youth Musical Theatre are back with another Lloyd Webber musical, this time the biblical story of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Completely sung through, this is a high octane extravaganza, with lively dance numbers and upbeat songs that is testament to the stamina of the young people on the stage.

The musical is a whirlwind re-telling of the story from the Book of Genesis, as Joseph finds himself betrayed by his brothers and sold as a slave, before rising the ranks to become the leader of Egypt. Each song is influenced by a different style, and the production leans heavily into this – cowboy hats are introduced for ‘One More Angel In Heaven’, a country-inspired number, and berets abound in French ballad ‘Those Canaan Days’. The choreography perfectly mimics this, with line dances, tangos and Charlestons which ensure there is something for everyone to enjoy.

The musical begins with an introduction from Hope Lo Monaco’s Narrator, who enters via the audience and immediately puts the crowd at ease – with Lo Monaco guiding us through the tale, we know we are in safe hands. Despite some technical difficulties with her mic, Lo Monaco is able to set the scene perfectly, and her vocal ability is stellar throughout. As one of the older members, it is nice to see Lo Monaco not only guiding the audience but also the younger members of the cast, perfectly complementing the huge ensemble in the group numbers, and even joining in with the dancing during 1920s-esque ‘Potiphar‘. For this production, Lo Monaco shares the role of narrator with Isla Spencer, and it would be interesting to see a younger actress take on this important role, in what one can imagine would be a fairly different interpretation.

Joseph exudes charisma and likeability

From the start, Oscar Drake’s Joseph exudes charisma and likeability, bounding onto the stage and greeting the audience with open arms. Joseph is a character with many facets – from spoilt son to slave to ruler – and Drake capably takes us on a huge emotional journey, perfectly encapsulating these different aspects with ease. By the time we reach his reprise of ‘Any Dream Will Do’, Drake has a newfound confidence, with one of the strongest vocal performances in a show brimming with talent. He delivers his song to the audience in a way that draws us in, makes us pay attention to the words and really understand what it means to have these amazing yet dangerous dreams.

Joseph’s father Jacob (Billy Sweet, hiding under one of the biggest beards I’ve ever seen) treats his favourite son to a multi-coloured coat in a huge dance number ‘Joseph’s Coat’ that gets all the cast involved, including a chorus of younger dancers that are full of energy and huge smiles throughout. In fact, it is this chorus that is one of the strongest aspects of this show – each and every one of them giving their all and not putting a foot wrong. This is not a case of a chorus being included to make up the numbers – under the direction of Caroline Green and Chris Moss, the chorus are often front and centre, and so they should be.

Joseph's brothers we shouldn't really like

Joseph’s brothers bring a lot of comedy to the production, despite being overcome with jealousy, stealing Joseph’s coat and killing his favourite goat. These are characters that we shouldn’t really like, and yet the actors bring such humour whenever they are onstage, that it is impossible not to find yourself smiling at their antics, which includes a few adlibs and added visual gags. As with everyone in the cast, there is not a weak link here, although there are a few standout performances from Stevie Kirkham as Asher (who leads ‘One More Angel in Heaven’), and Findlay Parker as Gad, leading ‘Benjamin Calypso’, whilst his real-life brother Quillen Parker gives a particularly emotive performance as the accused Benjamin. A special mention must also go to the backstage tech crew, who snuck onto the stage as palm trees!

Things start to look up for Joseph after he encounters a butler (Bella Syson) and a baker (Lilliana Simons-Clark) in prison, and they both realise his talents for interpreting dreams. This ends with a killer act one finale ‘Go Go Go Joseph’, which sees Syson and Simons-Clark, together with Drake and Lo Monaco, leading the vocals, whilst the rest of the cast appear in their brightest, shiniest, sparkliest outfits (Georgia Cooper as head of wardrobe) for a dance that leaves us breathless. Caroline Green has to be commended for the excellent choreography on display here, which is honestly some of the strongest of any amateur group I have seen recently.

And Pharoah said...

Act Two introduces us to Billy Sweet’s Pharoah, an Elvis-inspired role who gives a rock-and-roll rendition of ‘Song of the King’, which is so much fun it is immediately reprised, much to the audience’s delight. The song is accompanied by excellent set design from Chris Moss and Lianne Sheridan, which sees a Vegas-inspired ‘Welcome to Egypt’ sign lowered above the cast’s heads. Jamie Vella’s lighting design also deserves a special mention, particularly for the amount of different colours thrown into ‘Joseph’s Coat’ and perfectly timed with the lyrics.

This musical is a lot of fun, and I think it is virtually impossible for anyone to come out of this show without a smile on your face. The entire evening is rounded off with a huge megamix, in which it is plain to see how much fun the cast are having – it even makes me want to be a teenager again so I can join in! There is so much thought and attention to detail that has gone into this production that there are many moments that I haven’t even had chance to mention in this short review – including Egyptian mummies, UV painted world landmarks and a pantomime camel (imagine a pantomime horse but with humps). This show is certainly a rollercoaster ride, but the talented team at Derby Youth Musical Theatre pull it off with ease. So much fun, I’m counting down the days until next year’s Shrek the Musical.

Review by Tom Morley

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