Joseph the musical at Amey Theatre, Abingdon, February 2020

AN Oxford Theatre company invites you to join them on an amazing journey this month with lyrical narrators, travelling from Canaan to Egypt, from cells to palaces.

Join our band of toe-tapping brothers, a rocking Pharaoh, lambs, hairy Ishmaelites, a pyramid tycoon, fan girls and many more, as we follow the story of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. After all, it’s all there, in chapter 39 of Genesis.

Beloved songs that will have you tapping your toes along with the 10-piece band performing live on stage include Close Every Door, Any Dream Will Do and Go Go Go Joseph.

DIY Theatre Co has been creating unforgettable musical theatre with its young East Oxford--based casts since 2009, when they premiered Snow White in Sunningwell Village Hall.

Now they are proud to present, by arrangement with The Really Useful Group Ltd, under the direction of Poly Smart and musical direction of Livi van Warmelo, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Performances will take place at the Amey Theatre, Abingdon School, OX14 1DE on Friday, February 21 at 7.30pm; Saturday February 22 at 2.30pm and 7.30pm and Sunday, February 23 at 2.30pm.

Tickets are available from ameytheatre.co.uk and at the door – £15 full-price, £10 under-18’s and £5 under-eights. Family discounted tickets are also available.

DIY’s ethos places the young people at the centre of the creative process, encouraging them to be actively involved at every level: it is a truly collaborative creative process to put on a show with this group.

Everyone contributes, from the youngest to the oldest, and everyone is listened to.

The young people take on leadership roles such as assistant director, choreographer, stage manager, prop manager, and we even have some that have written, produced and directed their own musicals.

They therefore take ownership of each production, and the finished products reflect their commitment, passion and joy.

This is most evident in the productions of Reflections in the River (2017) and Over the Border (2019) which were both written and directed by Henry Jensen and Aidan Lack, two young people currently doing their A Levels.

Other past productions include Bugsy Malone (2017) at the Amey theatre; Calamity Jane (2018); Grease (2014); Seussical the Musical (2019); West Side Story – which they took on tour to Bonn (2017), Grenoble (2018) and Padua (2019), and Evita which toured to Bonn (2019) and which will now be returning to Oxford later this year.

In this latest production, the title role of Joseph is played by 14-year-old Ellie Brown, who last wowed audiences with her amazing voice as Gertrude McFuzz with the very long tail in Seussical.

She is supported by three harmonious narrators, Mel Houldershaw, Jesame Davidson and Annalisa McClimont, along with a talented cast of more than 30 young people.

They join together creating a spectacle of colour, music, and extravaganza which they hope you will enjoy.

First released as a concept album in 1969, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has been performed hundreds of thousands of times including multiple runs in the West End and on Broadway, international tours and productions in more than 80 countries.

The original Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice collaboration, the show is told entirely through song with the help of the narrator, and follows the story of Jacob’s favourite son Joseph and his 11 brothers.

After being sold into slavery by the brothers, he ingratiates himself with 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.