Auditions for 'Joseph' TV Search Start in U.K. in Feb.

"Any Dream Will Do," Andrew Lloyd Webber's reality talent search follow-up to "How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?" is casting for the role of Joseph in a new production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

According to Webber's website, auditions will take place across the United Kingdom over the next few weeks:

16th and 17th February - Cardiff
23rd and 24th February - Belfast
25th and 26th February - Glasgow
2nd, 3rd and 4th March - Manchester
9th, 10th and 11th March - London

All short-listed Josephs will go on to feature in a new Saturday night television series to be hosted by Graham Norton on BBC One.  An "expert panel" will be appointed, and viewers will also help in the selection process.

Those auditioning for Joseph should be able to sing, dance and act, and convincingly play a boy aged between 17 and 30.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, with music by Lloyd Webber and lyrics and book by Tim Rice, is a light-hearted reimagining of the biblical tale of Joseph, who is betrayed by his 11 brothers but finds a happy ending after adventures in Egypt.

"The success of 'How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?' this summer was a real boost for musical theatre in Britain and I was particularly thrilled with the reaction from schoolchildren up and down the country.  I cannot wait to get them involved in 'Any Dream Will Do' and to get back into the studio with Graham," previously stated Lloyd Webber, whose other musicals include Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. 

"How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria" resulted in the casting of Connie Fisher as the star of Webber's current London revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music.  Webber served as a producer and judge on the show.

After origins in British schools and a hit London run, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat opened on Broadway at the Royale Theatre on January 27th, 1982 and ran for 747 performances.  It originally starred Bill Hutton and Laurie Beechman on Broadway.  The show was revived in 1993, and has also toured successfully (Donny Osmond headed a touring production, at one point).

Application packs can now be completed. Details can be found on the BBC website.  Visit www.andrewlloydwebber.com for more information.

Photo - Andrew Lloyd Webber