Theatre: Joseph & the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Cork Opera House

This production of the world’s longest running musical is a slick crowd pleaser and very much a show for all the family.

With uplifting songs such as ‘Any Dream Will Do’, the familiarity of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical numbers is testament to how much this musical, a retelling of the biblical story about Joseph, is part of our musical DNA.

Lloyd Daniels, a 2009 X Factor finalist, carries the title role lightly. With a voice from the Valleys, the Welsh heart-throb is more of a benign presence than a charismatic one but he has plenty of appeal.

The show zips along at a fast pace. It is entirely sung with Danielle Hope as the narrator, moving the simple story along, in her crystal clear voice.

As is traditional with this musical, Pharaoh is played as Elvis Presley, to great effect. Matt Lapinskas as the pelvic thrusting king, brings humour to the show with lines from the singer’s back catalogue slightly adjusted such as ‘this dream has got me all shook up’ and ‘don’t make cruel with me Joseph.’ There is even a hysterical fan, a girl who faints at the foot of Pharaoh.

Humour abounds. At one point, Joseph enters the stage on a motorbike, decked out to look like a winged chariot. At another point, cartoon-type thought bubbles surround him when he is wondering what his next move should be.

Star Rating: 4/5