Review: Cape Town's JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT is A Hit

It's safe to say that JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT is one of my absolute favourites. I have vivid memories of being about 5 years old and dancing around my lounge to a cassette tape my parents had of the music. Fast forward 10 years and I got to play one of the brothers in my high school production, and I was thrilled. And then fast forward a few more years (I won't say how many this time...) and I was hesitant to see this musical up on stage again. Could it live up to my magical childhood memories? Boy oh boy, this production of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT brings the joy, the oomph and the laughter in buckets!

I can see exactly why they've returned for another season here in Cape Town. If you didn't catch this production from Pieter Torien and LAMTA the first time round, then you definitely need to go and see it now. It's a complete dancing and singing extravaganza, with some fantastic choreography from Duane Alexander and Jared Schaedler. I especially loved the how the song Benjamin's Calypso was reimagined.

I have one gripe with the production and that is the pace. It was electric from start to finish, not allowing any breathing time. I wanted to sit in Jacob's sadness for a moment in One More Angel in Heaven, and Joseph's loneliness in Close Every Door, and the fear and dread of the brothers in Who's the Thief? I felt like show just missed some of the softer, more tender moments.

However, on the comedy side of this production, there were some absolutely brilliant moments. Chris Jaftha as Potipher was the best interpretation I've ever seen of the character and I will never be able to see that character any other way. Watching the brothers play off each other with so many small interactions was a joy - they had some outstanding moments of comedy. And a special mention must go to the moment of the wretched goat being attacked in Poor Poor Joseph. I could not stop laughing then.

Now, a lot of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT is about the ensemble work, and this cast does a wonderful job. But special mention must go to the narrator of the show. Lelo Ramasimong was sublime in the role. Just the right amount of sass, kindness and authority - and an absolutely stunning voice.

The lighting design from Oliver Hauser also needs to be talked about. It brought so much energy to the production, and worked so well with Niall Griffin's great set, costume and prop design. You really get so much bang for your buck with this production. It's a visual feast.

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT is back for a return season in Cape Town and it is definitely something to go and watch. It's on at Theatre on the Bay until 29 November and tickets are available via Webtickets.

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