West End 'Joseph' Seeking Elvis Impersonators for Pharaoh

According to the Really Useful Group's website, producers of the upcoming London revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat are searching for Elvis impersonators to play the role of Pharaoh in the show. 

According to notes, those impersonators "must be able to sing and dance in the 'Elvis style' – please prepare an appropriate song and routine.  We will provide a pianist (please bring sheet music) and a CD player for backing tracks.  Auditions will be held on Thursday 12 April at Adelphi Theatre, Strand, London WC2.  Registration at 10.00am at the main Front of House entrance. Please bring a photograph and a CV with you on the day.  Rehearsals commence June 2007 for a one year contract. Please note that television cameras will be in attendance and all applicants consent to be filmed and interviewed."

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, produced by Tony Award-winning composer and impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber (Evita, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera), will begin previews on July 6th and open on July 18th at the Adelphi Theatre.  The show is booking through January 5th.

"Any Dream Will Do," also produced by Webber, began airing on BBC One, Saturday, March 31st at 7:45 PM.  Through this reality talent search, an actor will be found to star in the title role of the revival.

The panel of "Any Dream Will Do" will feature Denise Van Outen (Chicago on the West End, "Grease: You're the One That I Want" co-host), West End and Broadway star John Barrowman (Putting It Together), producer Bill Kenwright and voice coach Zoe Tyler.  "Any Dream Will Do" will air opposite "Grease is the Word," the David Ian-produced ITV reality talent search that, like its American predecessor "Grease: You're the One That I Want," will cast actors as Sandy and Danny in an upcoming West End revival of Grease, with the winners decided by nationwide voting.

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 staging of the West End revival will be based upon that of Steven Pimlott's 1991 production.

In other Webber-related news, the composer's website announced that "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria" has been nominated for an award at this year's British Academy Television Awards. The hit BBC 1 television series has been nominated for the Entertainment Programme Award, which is given in honour of Lew Grade. "Dancing on Ice," "The X-Factor" and "Derren Brown: The Heist" have also been nominated.  Winners will be announced at the London Palladium on May 20th.   Connie Fisher, the star of Webber's hit London revival of The Sound of Music, was cast through "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria."

Visit www.reallyuseful.com or www.andrewlloydwebber.com for more information.