Michael Harrison and the Really Useful Group have announced the return of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to Leeds Grand Theatre this month, having played to packed audiences in 2022.
The sensational and multi-award-winning production – Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s first major collaboration – has been performed thousands of times, including multiple runs in the West End and on Broadway, international tours in over 80 countries worldwide – and has become one of the world’s most beloved family musicals.
The X Factor winner, Joe McElderry, will return to the show as Pharaoh having performed in the titular role in 2017-18. McElderry has been a regular on the stage, playing the lead in The Who’s rock opera Tommy and Club Tropicana: The Musical. Joe says of his return: “I am delighted to join the company of the London Palladium production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I have such a long history with the show and to re-join in a different role, this time playing Pharaoh, will be so exciting. I can’t wait to perform to amazing audiences in Leeds in a show so close to my heart. Don’t miss out on next year’s ‘dream’ ticket!”
Joining him are Christina Bianco as Narrator, Adam Filipe as Joseph, Hugh Cotton as Reuben and Will Haswell as Simeon. Christina Bianco (Narrator) is a two-time Drama Desk Award nominee, who made her West End debut starring in the Menier Chocolate Factory’s production of Forbidden Broadway at the Vaudeville Theatre. She captured international acclaim as a YouTube sensation with her ‘diva’ impression videos gaining over 25 million views and more recently delighted audiences as Glinda in The Wizard of Oz at The London Palladium. Adam Filipe’s (Joseph) credits include Titanic The Musical (UK Tour); Prince Of Egypt, Original West End Cast and Les Misérables (Queens Theatre). Concert Credits: vocalist for Lea Salonga: Stage, Screen & Everything In Between (UK Tour) and Houdini in Side Show: in Concert (London Palladium).
Featuring much-loved pop and musical theatre classics, including Any Dream Will Do, Close Every Door, There’s One More Angel in Heaven, and Go, Go, Go, Joseph, the new London Palladium production received a rapturous reception during its 2019 and 2021 summer seasons, ahead of its first major UK tour in 2022. Producer Michael Harrison says: “After two sensational runs at The London Palladium and a celebrated tour, which saw audiences on their feet, I am delighted to bring Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat back to The Grand next year. Few shows bring the generations together the way Joseph does, and we can’t wait to welcome audiences new and old to make memories that will last a lifetime.”
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is directed by Laurence Connor (School of Rock, Miss Saigon, Chess, Cinderella, Jesus Christ Superstar, Co-Director of the new version of Les Misérables). JoAnn M Hunter (School of Rock, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever) is the show’s choreographer, set and costume design are by the award-winning Morgan Large with Ben Cracknell as Lighting Designer and Gareth Owen as Sound Designer.
Released as a concept album in 1969, the stage version of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has become one of the world’s most beloved family musicals. The multi-award-winning show, which began life as a small-scale school concert, has been performed hundreds of thousands of times including multiple runs in the West End and on Broadway, international number-one tours, and productions in over 80 countries as far afield as Austria and Zimbabwe and from Israel to Peru!
Told entirely through song with the help of the Narrator, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat follows the story of Jacob’s favourite son Joseph and his eleven brothers. After being sold into hardship by the brothers, he ingratiates himself with the Egyptian noble Potiphar but ends up in jail after refusing the advances of Potiphar’s wife. While imprisoned, Joseph discovers his ability to interpret dreams, and he soon finds himself in front of the mighty but troubled showman, the Pharaoh. As Joseph strives to resolve Egypt’s famine, he becomes Pharaoh’s right-hand man and eventually reunites with his family.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Tue 25 – Sat 29 May 2025. Book online at leedsheritagetheatres.com or call the Box Office on 0113 243 0808.
Photography by Tristram Kenton.
