Lloyd Webber to Cast West End 'Joseph' with Reality Show

According to BBC News, composer and impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber will try for a second reality show success with "Any Dream Will Do."

The show -airing on BBC1 - will be to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor as "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria" was to The Sound of Music.  Lloyd Webber, through the new reality show, will search for the stars of an upcoming West End revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  With the hit BBC reality talent search show "Maria," Lloyd Webber found a star - Connie Fisher - to carry the current smash London revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic.  Lloyd Webber also produces the revival, which plays the London Palladium.

In addition to the title role, Lloyd Webber is seeking young performers for the roles of the Narrator and Pharaoh/Elvis.  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.

Graham Norton, who hosted "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria," will return for "Any Dream Will Do."  An "expert panel" will be appointed, and viewers will also help in the selection process.

"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," stated Lloyd Webber, whose other musicals include Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats and The Phantom of the Opera.

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).