Review Roundup: JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT Opens in Toronto

The new London Palladium production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat opened at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto on December 16th. The production runs through February 18th, 2023.

This lavish new production, cited as the definitive one for this generation, stars Jac Yarrow, the thrilling new discovery chosen by Andrew Lloyd Webber himself to play the title role when this production was first mounted in summer 2019, and in its subsequent return in 2021 to the London Palladium following the long Covid hiatus, and in the UK and Irish tours in 2022.

Helmed by director Laurence Connor, whose new productions of Les Misérables (co-directed with James Powell) and The Phantom of the Opera have been seen around the world, this acclaimed new production is choreographed by JoAnn M. Hunter and has set and costumes by Morgan Large, lighting by Ben Cracknell, sound by Gareth Owen, orchestrations by John Cameron, and musical supervision and direction by John Rigby.

Let's see what the critics had to say...

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Karen Fricker, Toronto Star: The show ends with a speed-through megamix of all the big musical numbers and, on opening night, had the audience on its feet and bopping along, very young children and more senior figures alike. This is a crowd-pleaser that could do well on Broadway, particularly if concerns about some of its representations are addressed on its journey there.

Glenn Sumi, Now Toronto: Thankfully, this production boasts a fine cast, too. Vanessa Fisher, who gamely slips in and out of costumes several times to help move along the plot, makes a resourceful, energetic and strong-voiced narrator. Jac Yarrow, who plays Joseph and was a student a mere three years ago, exudes charm and optimism in both his charismatic onstage presence and his fine voice. And Tosh Wahogho-Maud, although he has some diction issues, nails his scene as the Pharaoh in the above-mentioned showstopper.

J. Kelly Nestruck, Globe and Mail: There are times when you feel you're watching both a very accomplished school pageant and a giant, real-life cartoon. Morgan Large's sun-baked desert set looks like a bit of vintage Disney animation, vividly lit by Ben Cracknell with almost as many colours as Joseph's coat. The show's humour extends to Large's comical costumes as well as the joking decor. If you're hunting for Easter eggs (an odd thing to be doing this time of year), check out the mock hieroglyphs on Pharaoh's palace walls - you just might spot the trademark for another Lloyd Webber show.

Isabella Perrone, BroadwayWorld: With such a massive cast it's hard to call out each member, but there's a great seamlessness to how this ensemble interact with one another that helps make this large production of JOSEPH AND THE TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT possible. As Reuben (Matt Gibson) leads the crew of brothers through a hilarious, square-danced 'One More Angel in Heaven'. Simeon (Will Hawksworth) takes charge in the second act's lamentous 'Those Canaan Days', with Hawksworth's dramatic French accent leading the group through the not-so-somber number. As Issachar (Shane Antony-Whitely) and Judah (Jayd Deroché), the Carribean-influenced 'Benjamin's Calypso' is both a strong vocal performance as well as a key moment in the narrative - while still maintaining it's humorous nature.

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