Bill Kenwright’s production of
with full audience participation; they were literally dancing in the aisles all over the theatre
When McElderry makes his entrance his cheery countenance embraces the audience and draws us in. Musical and X Factor fans are united in their admiration as he delivers the ballads with gusto. His voice is strong and beautiful and more than makes up for his less impressive acting skills which veer towards the cheesy at times. When he sings Close Every Door at the end of Act One it is a goosebumps moment and nothing else seems to matter.
Sean Cavanagh’s set is colourful and vibrant with wonderful comic touches including what appear to be blow-up sheep. Henry Metcalfe’s choreography is pleasingly over the top and is performed brilliantly by the cast. All of this adds to the dynamic energy of the production which engages the audience throughout.
Act Two opens with the The Theatre Workshop’s Joseph Choir centre stage. They perform beautifully with wide smiles and enthusiasm and make the most of their time in the spotlight. Pharoah aka Elvis Presley is played by Emilianos Stamatakis in his UK debut. After dragging Joseph out of jail to interpret his dream he introduces himself with a wonderful rendition of Song of the King which had us all rocking in our seats.
When the cast took their bows the audience became part of the show as the wonderful songs were repeated with full audience participation; they were literally dancing in the aisles all over the theatre. The aim of a good musical is to send the audience away with smiles on their faces and this production achieved this in full.
