There’s just so much to love about BATS’ latest production, Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. It wasn’t just the dream coat that was amazing and technicoloured – this was a show full of colour, dance, laughter and eccentricity which had its audience totally engrossed and thoroughly entertained. If the main purpose of a show is to entertain, then the standing ovation at the end of Tuesday’s opening night, proved BATS had, once again, delivered.
The production was directed and choreographed by Louise Travis, with Luannsa Goodman as her co-choreographer and Jonathan Eiø as Musical Director. Louise and Luannsa were fortunate in having some superbly talented dancers to bring their choreography to life; in addition to the nifty footwork, I must make mention of what the judges on Strictly Come Dancing like to call “armography” which made the dancing even more watchable.
The costumes, as well as being of technicolour brilliance, were a fascinating mixture of styles, ancient and modern, making this Joseph production more edgy and up-to-date than some I have seen. Super-fast costume changes must have been required as various cast members were taking on several roles but nobody appeared to miss a step.
Every actor who plays Joseph puts a slightly different spin on the part and David Honeywell played him as a gentle soul seemingly unaware of the jealousy his thoughtless tales of his egocentric dreams were creating among his brothers. His relationship with Jacob, helping his father “live his youth again” in the early scenes was especially poignant, showing the audience just why Joseph was Jacob’s favourite son. During his rendition of “Close Every Door to Me” even the most excitable of the mainly young audience fell silent.
Ranged against “poor, poor Joseph” were the other eleven brothers. While the strength of the brothers mostly lies in their unity, they were all the stronger for their individuality. I only wish I could name them all personally because they were a brilliant Band of Brothers. James Young (Reuben - One More Angel in
Heaven, with a bevy of wives joining in the fun), Adrien Nortier (Simeon - Those Canaan Days) and Harrison Crangle (Judah - Benjamin Calypso) took the lead in three of the show’s most popular group songs. Best of all the brothers’ interpretation of Those Canaan Days, bewailing the fate that had befallen them since they had betrayed Joseph, supposedly to a life of servitude, was a standout performance. Their excellent characterisation and faultless harmonies won them the loudest applause of the night.
One of the three narrators, Kirsty Kingham, was unable to perform on the opening night, leaving Laura Newborough and Eronwy Selwyn to carry the story-line which must have been a considerable challenge. It is a tribute to them both that they carried it off so harmoniously.
The children were a delight and extremely well-rehearsed, taking obvious pride in their performance. Team Lloyd was on stage on Tuesday but I am sure Team Webber will have been equally charming.
As a reviewer, I had a great seat in the middle of the stalls (thank you, BATS!) but part of me wanted to be up in the Circle watching from on high as the story unfolded, so that I could get a better, more all round view of the action. Boy, was it busy! This was very much an “ensemble show” with most of the cast on stage for much of the time. From my seat in the stalls, this meant that some of the principal performances lacked the focus that their roles deserved. For example, the sequence with Potiphar, (well played by Benedict Kennedy) and Potiphar’s wilful wife (equally well played by April Fost-Evans) lost some of its impact because my eyes were irresistibly drawn to the startling choreography of the accompanying dancers (was it just me or was this reminiscent of “Cabaret”?) Even Pharaoh, played very successfully for laughs by Ian “Spud” Smith, started off his performance at the back of the stage where he, too, was partly obscured by the dancers in front of him. Up in the Circle, I would have seen them all more clearly and been able to enjoy their performances even better.
Incidentally, Wednesday evening was a “relaxed” performance, a first for BATS. As one of the governors at a special educational needs school, I really appreciate the society’s acknowledgment that absolutely everyone deserves the chance to experience live theatre. The cast and crew of Joseph played this for laughs, creating a real party atmosphere, a theatrical adventure to give pleasure to everyone. Their boundless energy and exuberance were totally infectious, so that everyone left the theatre with a smile on their face. Well done, BATS!
Jaqui Ball
Retiring in Style
