WITH THE opening night nearly upon the East Berkshire Operatic Society ( EBOS) company rehearsing Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, director and choreographer Natalie Hayllor took a moment to chat with Wokingham.Today.
“It’s such a vibrant, joyful, energetic show,” she said
It’s full of colour, it’s bright, and it’s brimming with energy.”
With 45 young performers working alongside the adults, it’s a night out that the whole family can enjoy, and a classic show on every musical theatre lover’s list.
“So many of our adult cast members have strong memories of seeing it as children, and of sharing it with family members,” said Natalie.
“Everyone has their own story to tell about it, and it’s wonderful to be able to now share it with our younger EBOS members.”
The sung-through musical, with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, is based on the character of Joseph from the Bible’s Book of Genesis.
It follows his journey from favourite child, to slave, prisoner, and finally Pharaoh’s right hand man, through a series of rousing pop melodies that once heard, can never be forgotten.
First appearing in a London school in 1968 as a 15 minute long mini-musical, it has been performed around the globe countless times, by numerous famous Josephs, including 70s and 80s pop idols Donnie Osmond, David Cassidy, and Jason Donovan.
“I have loved working on this show,” said Natalie.
“It’s a great story, and each song has a different theme, which means there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
“It also means that the stage needs to be completely different for each piece of music.
“Our backstage crew really are the unsung heroes of this show, not only our tech team, who have created an extraordinary set – with pyramid, but all the chaperones, props and costume creatives, and our front of house team.
“This sort of show with a huge cast simply can’t happen without the backup of great support behind the scenes.”
Crucial to the show is the role of a singer/narrator, who leads the audience through the twists and turns of the story.
“Emily is our narrator, and, honestly, I would listen to her sing the phone book, she has such a fabulous voice,” said Natalie.
“The story really is in her hands, but then we have so many strong soloists in this show, it’s well worth seeing.
“I think people will also love our nine minute long megamix of songs to end the evening – I’m looking forward to seeing the audience’s reaction.”
Joseph can be seen at Bracknell’s South Hill Park Arts Centre, at the Wilde Theatre.
Performances are on Wednesday through to Sunday, November 6 to 10.
Wednesday to Friday performances are at 7pm, Saturday performances are at noon and 5pm, with a final performance on Sunday at 2.30pm.
All tickets cost £24.50, and can be purchased online from: southhillpark.org.uk
