Joseph was the first show that I ever saw, with Jason Donovan as Joseph. Before seeing it I had listened to the tape (yes, tape) recording of the show, with Tim Rice as The Narrator, hundreds, if not thousands, of times. I knew all the words, and I still do - they are etched into my brain for all eternity. So, I was particularly excited to see this new production.
The music is as catchy as it ever was, and the orchestra is brilliant. A production where the sound balance was perfect, and I could understand all the lyrics in the chorus numbers - partly, I suspect, because I know the lyrics, but thank you production for no mumbling!
The production team might want to think about doing a couple of sing-along shows though, as this show really does have a lot of fans from the previous productions, all of whom know the lyrics. I say this partly because I would love to attend one, but also because a fight nearly broke out in the Dress Circle at the beginning of Act One when one woman was singing along and people pointed out that they had not paid good money to hear her sing! If not sing-along shows, then the front of house area/staff need to make it clear that there should be no singing along until the mega remix at the end of the show.
In terms of the production itself, there is no escaping the fact that Joseph is a silly and ridiculous show. I tend to find such shows a bit grating now, but Joseph holds a special place in my heart, so I can pretty much forgive it most things. This production, however, seems to be trying too hard and, in doing so, pushes the silliness and ridiculousness to the point where it just isn’t funny anymore. Sheridan Smith, as The Narrator, plays some of the other roles - Jacob, Potiphar’s wife - and is supposed to provide huge comic value. The sad thing is, most of the time, it wasn’t really funny. And Jason Donovan as Pharaoh, again, is supposed to be a comic highlight. But, again, it fell rather flat and wasn’t funny. And, to top it all, because they were trying so hard to be funny, their vocals really suffered. It was really disappointing.
What was also really disappointing was the production itself. My 5 years old’s memory of the show was that it was big and grand and colourful. I probably have a very distinct opinion on how scenes should be set, but I felt that this production was effectively trying to do things on the cheap, so it was a bit underwhelming. The children’s choir is now eight children, who also play some of the adult roles - some of the brothers, wives, Potiphar, the Butler, the Baker. I think that having some children as the younger brothers works, but not when they are children dressed up as adults - have them as children.
Jac Yarrow making his West End debut is endearing as Joseph, and both his performance and his voice will blossom as he settles into the run.
This show is only just in previews, so it’s still experimenting and working things out. I would really really recommend that it tries pulling back on some of the over the top silliness, and choosing its moments for comedy - specific moments, as opposed to continuously throughout, can have a much greater impact as they are more unexpected and focussed.
Nevertheless, this show does, and always will, hold a special place in my heart, and I will always see it if it is on - I just may not see it more than once if it’s too over the top.