Harry Normanton and Jodie Russell lead the cast of this colourful productionLuke Dell

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is Brickhouse Theatre’s latest ambitious production and the Week Seven show has many selling points: a 15-strong child choir, some of Cambridge’s finest musical talent, a cast of strong actors and a new stage. I was particularly interested in how the company were putting to use the £9,500 investment Robinson College have made in the small theatre company, and caught up with director Luke Dell, musical director Anthony Gray, Harry Normanton, playing Joseph, and Jodie Russell, as the narrator.

Why Joseph?

Luke: I love musical theatre and at a student level it provides a unique opportunity to get involved in all different aspects of theatre. The dancing and choreography involved in putting on Joseph (the first half being nearly all choreographed) has been an exciting challenge. The eclectic range of styles draws so many people to the musical; Joseph is colourful both in terms of the technicolour dream coat, but also in terms of the mix of genres, cultural references, and music.

Are you making your own coat?

Anthony: It’s being made by my mum!

Anthony, how have you put together the band?

Anthony: The first thing I did was get the other Robinson organ scholar on board as assistant MD. But after that, students from loads of different colleges are performing: a King’s organ scholar, musicians from Girton. People wanted to be involved because it’s great fun, especially for music students who know and love the tunes. It feels like a break. It’s what we need after Trump!

Luke: The kids in the choir have been absolute stars. Joseph has always been written as a child choir. It adds something to the storytelling element to it – especially with Jodie’s character.

“The eclectic range of styles draws so many people to the musical; Joseph is colourful both in terms of the technicolour dream coat, but also in terms of the mix of genres, cultural references, and music”

Jodie: There are loads of great ensemble songs, especially the ones where Joseph gets beaten up!

What has been the most challenging thing in the rehearsal process?

Luke: Cambridge theatre can be so rushed, especially on a scale this huge. We prepared for this by getting the band organised in the summer and making casting decisions quickly.

It does feel hugely ambitious.

It is the biggest production Brickhouse Theatre has ever done. There has been a quite a large investment – the college has kindly invested £9,500 for Megadeck staging in time for the production.

That is a huge amount of money for college drama! How do you feel you can improve on other productions of Joseph?

In the production I saw in Southampton, the narrator really let the show down. We’re changing that by bringing Jodie front of stage to talk directly to the children and to really engage with the story telling element of the production.

The audience knows what they want when they come to JosephLuke Dell

Do you think musicals in Cambridge are more conservative than other theatrical projects?

Anthony: Yes, in some ways they are – Cambridge theatre can be wonderfully experimental; you saw that with things like The Duchess of Malfi (ADC Week 5). But musical theatre has to be more concise and more particular. The plays themselves are more established.

I think it’s important to admit that before doing a musical, because there is a certain element with musicals that you have to give people what they expect.

Luke: Yes, exactly, and particularly in a show like Joseph that so many people love. We (Luke and assistant director, Rosa Thomas) thought about trying to make it…. I’m trying to think of another word but ‘edgy’…. experimental?… but if we tried to be too experimental we would lose the audience

Why is that?

Anthony: A lot of it comes down to the fact the audience knows what they want when they come to Joseph.

It’s coming up to ‘Bridgemas’ – has this show got something of the panto about it?

Luke: Yeah, sure, a little bit. Pantomime is feel good – it’s music, it’s dance, it’s colourful.

Antony: And quite tongue and cheek.

Luke: That’s exactly what Joseph is! There is plethora of unusual characters. It’s Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice taking this biblical tale and mashing it up with all sorts of cultural references – the Pharaoh is an Elvis impersonator! It’s a real mix, and a mix of musical styles too. Thats what I mean by the ‘colour’ in the show.

What type of character do you think Joseph is?

Harry: He can be arrogant, and unpleasant at times!

Jodie: He gets better in the second half.

Harry: Yeah, maybe, but he’s very naive and full of himself, although well-meaning. I always think of a lyric in the show about Joseph – “not only is he tactless, he’s also rather dim!” That’s what I’m holding on to! I try to remember ‘tactless and dim’ when I’m on stage with nothing to say! And that doesn’t change until he is sold into slavery and lost everything – he learns to be a better person.

I want to ask the standard question – “if there were one message from this production what would it be”, but after this discussion about musicals being a little bit different that feels redundant.

I just want people walking out the door with a smile on their face and still humming the songs!

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is on at Robinson College Auditorium from Wednesday 23rd November until Saturday 26th November. Tickets are only £6 for students and £8 for non-students