IT WAS AMERICAN choreographer Robert Joffrey who commented on the value of restaging old chestnuts because it gives a new generation of performers something to get their teeth into. Under the direction of Anton Luitingh and Duane Alexander, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat does just that. It also gives young audiences something to boogie on down to. It is onstage at Montecasino until 28 September 2025.

Staged several times in South Africa, this work offers returning viewers a dollop of nostalgia that reaches to memories of performances in 2016 by Earl Gregory and Terence Bridgett, or 1974 with Richard Loring, Bruce Millar and others. But this tale of betrayal and loyalty, of favouritism and the incredulous embrace that an elderly father gives his dearest son who he believes to be long dead, touches hearts in significant ways. To say nothing of the lyrics.

The current production is delightful. It’s not flawless, but it offers the now-57-year-old musical an integrity and a levity which lends it currency, even in 2025. As the first scene opens, the lighting cast is rich with nuance, something that is notably unusual for a big scale musical of this nature and popularity. It feels like you are gazing at a tableau of Rembrandt’s 1635 painting Belshazzar’s Feast in terms not only of the colouration and the cleavage of costume and lighting, but also in terms of the sense of debauchery teetering between contemporary vibe and biblical taboo.

The work unfolds, revealing a level of humour in the lyrics that contradicts the perception that large scale musicals are platitudinous in the funny department. Lelo Ramasimong as the narrator has a voice and a level of articulation, to say nothing of her stage presence, that collectively lend her the authority and status to carry the role. Indeed, the production. She lends Pharoah (Chris Jaftha) the narrative clarity he otherwise lacks in a role that’s all Elvis Presley bluster and thrust, in golden shorts with a bit of Egyptian cliches tossed into the mix. Jaftha’s stage presence is one thing; his lyrics are lost in the clarity stakes, however, from beginning to end.

Joseph himself, played by a very able Dylan Janse van Rensburg is easy on the eye, anatomically, and lovely vocally and choreographically, but he is almost too good to be true, which bruises the role a little. He feels too obviously the favourite son, the recipient of the coat in question and the one who is easiest for the other, ostensibly lesser, brothers to dispose of, out of jealousy. He’s like the good-looking child in your class who is not only a A-grader, but a prefect, the head of the sports team and a teacher’s favourite too.

Iconic musicals of this nature, where the story is big and the roles are distinct, often carry the status where one actor is remembered more over the others. Forever. Master Harold and the Boys is one – and you will remember John Kani and Ramolao Makhene in the 1983 version, as Sam and Willie respectively, but not necessarily who played Hal. Evita is another. If you remember who played Evita, you might not remember who played the narrator. In this production it is arguably the performance of Logan Cornelius in his role as Benjamin, which might hold firm in many viewers’ memories, over and above everyone else. He has a slightly different body type to all the other young men cast as Jacob’s sons, and with his shoulder-length curls, and his persona onstage, he grabs your eye, even for a fleeting moment, and holds it beautifully. There is a sameness in the rest of the brothers, which blands them out.

Choreographically the work is competent. It is not smooth and seamless, but more’s the joy in that fact. Each character onstage has his or her own personality and texture and in the scenes where everyone is doing their own thing, your eye sweeps with an ease from one scenario to the next without willing it to be all thrummed out flawlessly.

In terms of costumes, a contemporary take on hippie/desert-chic is developed with thought and beautiful fabrics for the male roles, but for the women, less so. Indeed, in the dinkum Egyptian scenes, where Joseph’s become a dignitary in the palace, girls are uncomfortably – and unflatteringly – clad in something yellow comprising basically beads and bra cups, which feels demeaning, to say the least.

The work is intelligible and appropriately debauched and funny without killing the biblical narrative which underlies it. It is however, the curtain calls, which may make you want to flee in horror. The colour song is hammered into your sensibilities, drilled in place with the LED lights on stage almost militarily. By that point, however, you should be hopefully upstanding with your arms in the air, your hips gyrating and your own voice shouting the lyrics, and oblivious of that.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is written by Tim Rice with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Directed by Anton Luitingh and Duane Alexander, with musical direction by Amy Campbell and musical supervision by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder, it is performed by Michiel Bester, Gemma Bisseker, Léa Blerk, Stuart Brown, Danie Conradie, Logan Cornelius, Miguel de Sampaio, Jayden Dickson, Dylan du Plessis, Gianluca Gironi, Chris Jaftha, Dylan Janse van Rensburg, Yethu Kibi, Jasmine Minter, Manyano Ngoma-Young, Ann Olivier, Lelo Ramasimong, Jared Schaedler, Bradley Smith, Michael Stray and Justin Swartz and features design by Niall Griffin (set, costumes and props); Oliver Hauser (lighting); David Classen (sound); and Duane Alexander and Jared Schaedler (choreography). It is stage managed by Kayla Dunn and co-produced by Pieter Toerien and Lamta by arrangement with the Really Useful Group and is onstage at the Pieter Toerien Theatre, Montecasino complex in Fourways, Sandton until 28 September 2025.