The theatre colossus that is Andrew Lloyd Webber committed a giggle-worthy gaff earlier this year, when accepting a WhatsOnStage award for his recent revival of Starlight Express in the West End.

“We’re bringing in new, young people to see a show and… okay, it’s not necessarily the greatest musical you’ll ever see.”

The room – not to mention swathes of TikTok – took it in good humour and relished in the Lord (not that one) offering up a splash of self-deprecation toward one of his earlier offerings.

It’s the kind of deadpan that could be levied at Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The debut collaboration between Lloyd Webber and Sir Tim Rice is a simple but pleasant thing. It has graced more school, amateur and professional stages than quite possibly any other musical that springs to mind and as such is peppy, family-friendly fun with catchy tunes that you’ll likely be humming long after the curtain falls.

But as a simplistic, sung-through piece it’s… well, not necessarily the greatest musical you’ll ever see.

Enter: Michael Harrison, Laurence Connor and team.

Stretching, pulling, rethreading and revitalising every nook, cranny and beat of Joseph, imbibing it with spectacle and a flurry of big-budget, song-and-dance embellishments, they serve up what is perhaps the biggest surprise of the theatre season so far.

Bursting with invention and joy, this is a rousing, technicolor marvel of a revival that truly sings.

“…a rousing, technicolor marvel of a revival that truly sings.”

For those who have somehow avoided the Joseph engine to date, its follows its titular character as he goes on his biblical adventure through slavery, imprisonment and beyond. Given its roots, Lloyd Webber and Rice’s book is refreshingly scarce on religiosity, with nary a mention of the big man upstairs. Instead, it is a decidedly child-friendly ode to fortitude, perseverance and decency.

‘Given the fact that any substance here is paper thin (at best), Connor, along with set designer Morgan Large and choreographer Joanne M. Hunter decide to go full throttle on the spectacle. Particular credit to MD John Rigby and the dance arrangements from Sam Davis, too. A cynic may call it padding, but the full-throated way in which the creatives here take the likes of ‘One More Angel in Heaven’ and explode into a full honkey-tonk hoedown of almost Rodgers and Hammerstein proportions is nothing short of genius. ‘Those Canaan Days‘ becoming ‘Can Can days? Inspired. This feels like Joseph the musical as it always ought to have been.

Given the abundance of different genres that Joseph’s score riffs through – jazz, country, rock, calypso to name but a few – the decision to have lots of freewheeling, expansive fun here pays off in abundance. Formerly pleasant toe-tappers turn into full scale song and dance show-stoppers, and Connor has a deft eye for injecting character throughout, to boot.

Of course, it helps to be working with such a strong company. Not least of all a selection of very winning child performers who have been integrated into the show far beyond the usual token pop-ups, which is a joy to watch. Even key roles such as Potiphar and the good-nature Benjamin are portrayed by some of the talented kids on stage.

In a similar vein, the irrepressible bundle of joy that is Christina Bianco takes her cheeky, fourth wall-breaking narrator and dips it in and out with bit parts such as Joseph’s father and Potiphar’s villainous, seductive wife. Bianco injects the role with a ton of energy and charm to spare, and her innate comedic skills are put to great use throughout. And if it that weren’t enough natural comedic talent to appreciate, the triumphant return of Birmingham Hippodrome favourite Matt Slack proves an utterly scene-stealing strike of casting gold.

“Hippodrome favourite Matt Slack proves an utterly scene-stealing strike of casting gold.”

By dint of his role as Pharaoh, Slack isn’t afforded a tremendous of stage time, but he mines it for every laugh, strut and cheeky reference to his panto staples as he can. It’s a gift of an extended cameo, and a surefire reason why audiences should check out the tour in Birmingham.

But arguably this production’s greatest ace is in it’s leading man; rising musical theatre star Adam Filipe. Recently impressing with knockout vocals in Titanic the Musical and Sideshow in Concert last April, Filipe steps into big sandals – not to mention a certain sizeable coat – and more than rises to the occasion, serving up an absolute dream of a Joseph. Injecting the admittedly rather one-dimensional lead with a likability, exuberance and even athleticism throughout, Filipe is tremendous. And yes, he absolutely raises the roof with a blistering rendition of ‘Close Every Door’.

To say this is a production that exceeds expectations would be an understatement. It may well be amongst the most inventive, characterful and exciting examples of injecting a whole new scale and life into an old favourite to date. It is a glittering, joyful manifesto of how to stage a revival with vision and purpose, and if it is a case of dazzling with style over substance, then colour me dazzled, then slap on some more.

Lloyd Webber best get practising the next iteration of that speech…