The 50th anniversary London revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musicalJoseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat is coming to Melbourne,to add to the city’s deep slate of musical theatre as the performing arts looks to leave pandemic gloom behind.
Jac Yarrow as Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at The London Palladium in 2021.Tristram Kenton
It will be the first staging of the reimagined production outside the UK,producers say. They have not yet revealed the cast:the title role has been played by stars such as Donny Osmond,Phillip Schofield and Jason Donovan (who played the pharaoh in the London season).
2022 is proving a bumper year for musical theatre in Melbourne:thoughFrozen has gone to Brisbane,Jagged Little Pill finished up last week and headed back to Sydney,andMoulin Rouge! The Musicalmoves to Sydney next month,plenty more are coming south.Hamilton opens Thursday,An American in Paris runs until late April,Girl from the North Country opens in April,Cinderella opens in June,andPhantom of the Opera runs from October to February next year.
There is alsoCruel Intentions in May,and9 to 5 in July.
The trend mirrors Broadway – as the world’s theatrical hubs recover from the pandemic lockdowns,commercial producers are turning to reliable crowd-pleasers over more expensive,risky plays.
Joseph producer Tim Lawson,who is currently working with George R.R. Martin on a world premiere stage production ofGame of Thrones,said,“We all need colour and joy in our lives,and this dazzling production[ofJoseph] delivers both.”
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