Craig Chalmers impresses Carole Hoggan when she sees Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for the first time

Having never seen the show before and not knowing too much about it (I was probably the only one in the audience) I went along to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with an open mind and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.

After a lengthy introduction before the curtain actually went up, Tara Bethan opened the show as Narrator, telling us the story of Joseph through song.

I had never realised there was no dialogue – just lyrics – but Tara made it very easy to follow the story as her voice was clear and very powerful. Wow, can she sing.

Fervent fans in the audience – singing each number word for word – almost drowned her out, but she just had the power to make herself heard.

Craig Chalmers as Joseph was a dreamboat in his coat of many colours with a voice to match. One More Angel was one of the numbers from the show I’d never heard before but instantly loved. He made a great Joseph, especially when wearing his loin cloth.

The brothers were great, you couldn’t help liking them even when they were being mean to Joseph, their singing and dancing superb. Those Canaan Days was another favourite of mine.

The singing and dancing from the rest of the cast was great. There was even a bit of unintended comedy when one of the sheep failed to inflate – raising a laugh from the audience. A calypso number from performer Anthony Hanson, with his hip-swaying Elvis inspired Pharaoh, made sure there was something for everyone. He sang a new song, especially written for this production, called King of My Heart too. A children’s choir was a big part of the show and you could see they were really enjoying themselves.

I felt the second half was much better than the first. There was a medley of all the songs in a party mix with plenty of audience participation. Craig’s rendition of Any dream will Do also had everyone singing and clapping.

As a newcomer to the show, I found it frustrating when many of the songs were repeated throughout. But I would definitely see this show again, it was great fun. It can take any night out from dreary to dreamcoat in a flash (of light).

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at The Orchard, Dartford until Nov 1. Call 01322 220000.