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WHAT WE SAY ABOUT JOSEPH:
Great night out: you'd better believe it
Morning after effect: lyrics just won't leave your head
Recommend to friends: and their kids
See again: dangerous if seen too often
Best bit: King of my Heart
There are some musicals that should carry a health warning of some sort. My Fair Lady for trying too hard to be jolly cockney, The Sound of Music for being just too sugary, and Joseph, for being unbearably catchy.
Let's put the whole Lee Mead / Any Dream Will Do bit to one side for a moment and just talk about the show itself, because if you're an adult of 30 or 40+ and are seeing the show for the first time on the West End stage then it has a strange affect on you.
As the overture starts up the flood of melodies awaken a buried memory chest of school and an overly eager teacher trying to get a bunch of unwilling children to sing even vaguely in tune. And suddenly it overwhelms you in an 'oh no not this again!' sort of moment. "I close my eyes..." and that's it, you've unlocked the Pandora's Box of Tim Rice's lyrics and out they all flood - and yes, you know every word of the whole show that's just starting.
Every conceiveable device has been used in the show to make it attractive to the 'tweenager' audience, and it works frighteningly well. From a narrator (read teacher) to having a choir of children on stage (read school class) to the central action being staged inside a giant book (read TV set).
It gives children a high comfort factor as they watch the show, as it seems so familar and comfortable. A bit of pantomime humour, colourful costumes and now a lead actor who they all know and voted for! No wonder you have to sell Grandma's best china to get a ticket!
I saw the show the opening week when Lee was dizzy with the enormity of what was happening to him, but he was confident and comfortable in the role and looks the part completely.
The true power of this musical came home to me a couple of days later when I heard my 8 year nephew singing 'Close Every Door To Me' while playing in the next room. He sang all the right lyrics, in tune, and without a teacher standing over him, and he'd never heard the song before. Now that's special!
Audience:
Come one come all! Apart from children under 5 this musical will appeal to all audiences. You just need the stamina to keep up with the pace of it all.
Theatre:
The Adelphi is well located next to Covent Garden so you have plenty of choices of pre and post show eating & drinking. The theatre itself is well organised and if you are sitting up in the higher seats, don't worry, Lee has a surprise treat for you at the end of the show.
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