The first thing you notice is the simple but effective set awash with terracotta colours which position you straight in Ancient Canaan and Egypt. Clever details like the hieroglyphics and sphinx add interest, whilst the chorus of kids in colourful T-shirts are sat on benches along the flanks of the stage, bringing the audience right into the action.
The band led by Musical Director Pete Dodsworth are terrific, bringing Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's music to life with energy, vim and vigour.
There are two casts, Baker and Butler, and the young actor playing Joseph on the night I went, Ethan Turner, was charming in the role. He was very expressive, delivering most of his songs with a beaming smile, and then crushing our hearts with his melancholy as he cowered behind bars in Close Every Door To Me.
The brothers were full of bouncy, boisterous energy and worked wonderfully together as a rowdy ensemble, pulling all the comedy and laughs you'd hope for out of One More Angel in Heaven and Those Canaan Days in particular.
My hat goes off to the narrators Enya Casselton and Phoebe Knapp, both of whom looked splendid in black tie and tails bedecked with green sequins. They had the tough job of carrying the story of the whole show forward and did so with confidence and clarity.
Potiphar and his wife, Sofia Trebar and Aoibhinn Lyons, deserve a mention for getting some of the biggest laughs of the evening, but the cameo that stole the show was Zach Makanda-Tansey as Pharaoh. The traditional pun on 'the king' means Pharaoh is always portrayed as a swaggering, preening Elvis Presley impression, but Makanda-Tansey made the part completely his own, bringing in a touch of the New Romantics with his facial make up, costume and hair, and a funky Prince-like soul to his voice.
The megamix at the end had the entire audience on its feet clapping, stamping and singing along in celebration of what had been a vibrant, captivating, entertaining and humorous performance!
The Watford Fringe Festival which runs throughout July. There are over 180 shows taking place at more than 20 venues across our town and we'd love you to part of it. Visit watfringe.co.uk for show details and tickets.
