Reviewed by Cynthia
Sydney is donning all the colours of the rainbow for Pride Amplified 2023 as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat hits the stage at the Capitol Theatre with a bang.
The venue featured a gorgeously layered set that mimicked the Sinai desert and setting sun with stars twinkling from the stage sides and soft silks hanging above giving a storybook and dreamlike quality. Families and theatregoers alike were blown away by the colour palate and stage magic bringing the text of Joseph’s journey from the Bible’s Book of Genesis to life.
The Narrator’s presence (Paulini) commanded the stage and was warmly welcomed by the audience as she presented the story. The child performers were adorable and utterly charming in their roles for the show. They showed great enthusiasm in each appearance and were impressively nimble on their feet, moving around the dancers whilst assisting with props and scene transitions.
Joseph (Euan Fistrovic Doidge) lit up the stage with his charming smile and broke the fourth wall, coming to life through the children’s imagination and eagerly began to tell his tale.
The talented ensemble served the audience with non-stop action and songs featuring phenomenal voices from the cast supported by the wonderful underground orchestra. The dance choreography (Joann M. Hunter) was bright and cheery, matching the vibrant set design and was an absolute joy to watch. It felt very reminiscent of Disney’s Aladdin and Mary Poppins where their shoes and costumes featured the origin and era the dance came from, a lovely touch.
The Narrator proved to be a master of morphing into different characters with simple costume additions that transformed her appearance and physicality. Paulini delivered in spades with her vocal range and acting chops. Her playfulness in each role translated well with every scene and her multiple short appearances were a good deliberate choice to avoid disruption and distraction from the plot that was unfolding before us.
The second act wowed us with a luxurious golden Egyptian backdrop and the much-anticipated Pharoah (Trevor Ashley) finally made his appearance coming at us with powerful vocals, signature moves and hilarious commentary. The ensemble shined with more brilliant singing and dance numbers that were visually delightful, memorable, and fun.
Euan was endearing as Joseph and conveyed each emotion marvellously through his voice. There was a gentle nature in his performance that carried us smoothly along to the end, proving that both the role and the Amazing Dreamcoat suited him perfectly.
The show brought high energy with plenty of pop culture references across all age groups and even snuck in some cheeky jokes for the adults. There was something for everyone to enjoy and a wonderful way to introduce musical theatre to new and younger audiences.
A family-friendly treat that will have you dreaming in glorious Technicolour for weeks to come.