Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff – review

Thanks to Wales Millennium Centre for providing us with review tickets for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Way back in 2017, we saw Joe McElderry starring in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Wales Millennium Centre – and he was fantastic. Fast forward eight years and the X Factor winner is once again back here in Cardiff performing in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. But this time Joe has graduated to the iconic role of Pharaoh, the Elvis-inspired, gold-clad, hip-thrusting ruler of Egypt who sings about cows emerging from the Nile to a very appreciative audience.

This 2025 UK tour of Joseph is the latest production of a musical which has been packing out theatres for more than 50 years. Based on the Biblical book of Genesis, it tells of Joseph, sold as a slave by his 11 brothers who are jealous that he’s their father’s favourite, and whose ability to decipher the meanings of dreams eventually sees him become the Egyptian Pharaoh’s second in command when he predicts a forthcoming famine and saves Egypt.

Tonight’s performance manages to be both familiar and new. Iconic songs such as Any Dream Will Do, There’s One More Angel in Heaven and Go, Go, Go Joseph are still as catchy as ever, but this staging has more humour than I remember from past shows. The children, who usually feature as the chorus on the edge of the stage are fully integrated into the show, performing an array of smaller parts including some of the brothers, Joseph’s cell mates in the Egyptian jail, and even a goat.

It’s a bold decision to feature the youngsters so prominently as with their fake beards there are moments where it verges into school play territory. That said, the youngsters bring a lot of humour, their solos are impressive, and it’s fitting to see them given such integral roles given that Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice originally created the show back as a 15-minute performance for a London school. That was back in 1968 after which the pair transformed it into a full-scale musical, premiering in the West End in 1973 and Broadway in 1982. Stars who have famously appeared as Joseph include 90s heartthrob Jason Donovan – the ultimate Joseph for many of us and I’m sure I’m not the only one in the audience tonight who still knows every single word thanks to obsessively listening to the soundtrack; Lee Mead, the winner of Any Dream Will Do, the TV search for a new Joseph; as well as Gareth Gates, Ian ‘H’ Watkins from Steps, and Donny Osmond, who performed the role more than 2,000 times in Canada and the US, who also featured in the 1999 film version.

Tonight, there’s no ‘big name’ in the leading role – we have Adam Filipe, an experienced West End performer and a phenomenal one at that. The audience hang on every note of his emotional rendition of Close Every Door, as he languishes in an Egyptian prison having been sold by his jealous brothers as a slave. He gets a huge round of applause at the end, and just when you think it’s died down, it starts up again.

Christina Bianco is the Narrator, holding the show together with some of the most energetic storytelling I’ve seen, joining in with the dance routines. She also plays a couple of smaller parts including Potiphar’s wife and Jacob, Joseph’s dad, I had my reservations about the latter as having seen previous versions of the show, the moment when Joseph is reunited with an aging Jacob is really emotional and Bianco’s version didn’t quite have the same tenderness. There are moments when you begin to hear the full extent of her vocals but the nature of the part means she’s never given the same chance to shine as Joseph or Pharaoh. in their solos. I would love to see her belting out an iconic musical number as a leading lady.

The production looks amazing thanks to Morgan Large’s set and costume design and Ben Cracknell’s lighting. A large sun moves around the back of the stage surrounded by multi-coloured drapes, the stage fills with vivid colours, flashing lights and stars, while the gold backdrops and hieroglyphics of Egypt are wonderfully extravagant, with even the statues joining in Pharaoh’s big number Song of the King.

One minor gripe from me, I was disappointed there was no unfurling of the dreamcoat at the end – this is such an iconic moment in the show and I have no idea why it wasn’t included in this production.

But the energy of The Joseph Megamix, which features all the main songs from the musical, is so energetically performed, with the audience needing very little encouragement to get up on their feet and sing along, that you can’t help but leave the theatre on a real high.

Joseph and the Amazing Techicolor Dreamcoat is a musical that means a lot to so many people, whether that’s because you performed in a school production or you saw it as a child, and it’s clear from the talk around the auditorium and at the bar in the interval that there’s plenty of nostalgia tonight. But with so many children in attendance tonight too, it’s clear to see it’s finding a new generation of Joseph fans too.

My 11 year old loved it – he last saw it when he was just five and I was amazed at how much he remembered from first time round. It’s a great show for families and a perfect introduction to musical theatre for children, with lively musical numbers, brilliantly over the top at times, nothing scary and at two hours including interval, it’s not too long either.

If you’ve already got tickets for this week, you’re in for a fabulously fun night. There’s very limited availability if you’re quick. It’s worth calling the box office for last minute returns on 029 2063 6464 or in person at the information desk.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is at Wales Millennium Centre until Sunday 27 July. Remaining performances Thursday-Saturday 7.30pm, Friday and Saturday 2.30pm, Sunday 1pm

Age guidance 5+, no admission to under 2s. Running time 2 hours including interval.

More information here.