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SCENE IT: Revitalised and vibrant JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT at Theatre on the Bay breathes new life into a well-worn musical classic
- Barbara Loots
- Nov 11
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 12
Barbara Loots
Since it’s opening in May this year, the fresh and revitalized JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT has seen audiences flock to the theatre where the production plays to soldout houses. With a stellar creative team and an exceptionally talented cast you won’t leave feeling short changed by this vibrant offering that breathes new life into the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber global phenomenon that was first staged in the 70s.
The musical is well-known. I am not going to delve into the story at the centre, save to say that it’s based on the Old Testament story of the youngest son of Jacob, Joseph, who can interpret dreams, and is betrayed by his jealous brothers and sold into slavery because they are annoyed by the favouritism he is shown by their father. Yes, he is that child and apparently blissfully unaware that boasting about his gifts and extra hugs from Papa isn’t the best way to go about ingratiating himself to his siblings. Should his brothers have sold him into slavery? No. Was there justification for letting him sit in a well for a few hours at least to think about his character flaws? I think a case can be made out for it…
Okay, let’s pause for a disclaimer: I love musicals, but I’ve never really liked the character of Joseph, and neither he nor his musical is my favourite. Thus, when given the lovely opportunity to see for review the return season of the LAMTA and Pieter Toerien presented staging of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT at Theatre on the Bay there was a lot of self-talk involved before taking my theatre seat with an opened and ready to be entertained mind. I am happy to report that I left the theatre well-entertained indeed.
Though I am still not a Jospeh groupie (there’s just too much ego involved, whether you see him as truth or fiction), credit must be given to Dylan Janse Van Rensburg who on the night of viewing did do an exceptional job at portraying the character.
Who I did find myself gravitating towards with more glee than in previous musical appearances were the bohemian-commune-meets-Wild-West-funk-soul Brothers* and the enchanting Narrator (Lelo Ramasimong) that gave this staging a vibrancy. They, along with the revved up exceptional set, lighting and costume design by Niall Griffin and the musical supervision of Charl-Johan Lingenfelder colour this production in a whole new hue of technicolour.
(*I refer to them collectively as “the Brothers” as I am not certain who was performing in the ensemble on the night of viewing, as apparently there were last minute changes to the cast as programmed. Apologies to a team of musical triple threats I would love to have praised individually by name, but you know who you are if you were performing on 26 October 2025.)
The vocals in the show are generally of a very high standard. Usually that alone is enough to justify the price of a musical ticket. In this show though there is extra performance punch to be found in the choreography that leaves one wondering if anyone on that stage stands (or can stand) still for longer than a beat.
The tempo and musical styling of the show overall definitely feels to be at a quicker pace than previous stagings I can recall: The energy is palpable and the fact that the cast has great comedic timing while dancing and singing is all the more impressive.
Christopher Jaftha as Pharoah was, sadly, rather disappointing. His intentionally unintelligible performance of the Pharoah, summoning the spirit of Elvis, did not leave me all shook up. Even though left unmoved, I must give him credit for his character work, which also includes Jacob and Potiphar. Jaftha succeeds in giving each of his characters a very clear and distinguishable persona. He does have stage presence, but I just don’t think that presence is of the same heightened musical theatre ampere as the rest of the fire-cracker cast.
The elephant in the room, however, is whether this was the right time to stage JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT given the international climate surrounding the genocide in Gaza. The choice to go ahead with the staging may be described as questionable: The performance I attended saw half the audience jubilantly applaud Janse Van Rensburg ‘s rendition of “Close Every Door” (which make reference to children of Israel getting a land of their own), while others sat rather soberly waiting for it to please pass. I was in the latter group. With much respect to lyricist Tim Rice and his original intention of hope and resilience, some of the lyrics in that song just do not age well. That was the only tone-deaf moment in the show though.
Ultimately, I did not leave the theatre a JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT convert in full –it’s not going to make my top 10 favourite musicals list, which is all personal preference and has nothing to do with the performance quality of this specific show. But some of the elements I really did find fun and vibey.
In fact, I can give you two very good reasons to see this sleek, dazzling production at Theatre on the Bay: The Brothers (who will have you laughing until you cry with their antics, while singing and also dancing up a storm) and Ramasimong (who is all charm and vocal brilliance). Together they conjure up all the “Go Go Go” a staging of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT could need.
This is the best staging of this musical I have seen to date. Praise for the success of this staging must go to Anton Luitingh and Duane Alexander for their direction, as they have managed to breathe new life into a show that has over the years become a bit stale. Shocking Joseph back to life with such verve takes vision.
You have until 29 November 2025 to go see this latest and fully revitalised staging of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT at Theatre on the Bay. Tickets can be booked through Webtickets.