Metro Theatre is bringing its 2024/25 season to a close by taking a step back to the Seventies in its staging of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
photo: Harika Xu
Suitably, the first publicly produced musical collaboration from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice iconic body of work, adapts the story of Joseph from the first book of the Bible, the Book of Genesis. Director Christopher King leads production which takes on the guise of a travelling 1970’s era TV-Variety Show, a brilliant way to make use of Joseph’s varied and eclectic music genres.
From pop to country to rock & roll, gospel and even calypso, the variety of sounds fits nicely into the variety format with the musical Narrator Ivania Delgado, taking on the role of The Iva Show’s stylish host. For this episode, the narrator welcomes a very special guest star, Joseph (Argel Monte de Ramos), the dreamer. They will be joined in the show by her fabulous singers and dancers – the equally fabulous Metro ensemble. As well the six-member backing band, lead by Musical Director Jenaya Barker on keyboard, is on-screen for the whole show. Behind the scenes, the variety show’s producer Steve Dotto, who welcomes the audience with rules for the ‘broadcast’, will later take to the screen as Jacob father of Joseph and his 11 jealous brothers.
With up to two dozen performers on stage, Joseph is a whirlwind of non-stop activity and entertainment. Shelley Stewart Hunt carefully choreographs the large ensemble to make use of every inch of floor space, recreating the grand technicolor TV specials of the disco era. To boost the colour content, Costume Designer Erin Gravelle, MSM makes some brave choices with the unforgiving, and sometimes unflattering, fabrics of the Seventies to create a technicolor rainbow of retro styles that can endure the rigours of the active choreography.
Save for one microphone causing some audio issues on opening night, the entire cast and crew managed to take us back to decades ago for a timeless story told centuries ago.
Just like a dream Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an eclectic, fast paced, extravaganza that, while being full of familiar songs also manages to bring fresh, and retro, take to the 50+ year old musical.
Go Go Go to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat playing until June 8, 2025 at the Metro Theatre, 1370 Marine Drive SW. Visit metrotheatre.com for showtimes and tickets.