The Stars Come Out…

7 November 2023

Naomi MacKay watched a quartet of West End Joseph stars bring the magic of the musicals to a packed audience at the Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury.

I have a confession, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is not my favourite musical – too much singing it in the primary school choir is probably to blame – but the chance to see four West End leading men on stage at Aylesbury’s theatre enabled me to overcome my prejudice.

And when the four stars – who number thousands of appearances as Joseph among them – came out in suits and colour co-ordinated ties, I was worried that it was all going to be a bit too cruise ship cabaret for me (not that there’s really anything wrong with cruise ship cabaret!).

But I was pleasantly surprised – it was a totally charming production – four wonderful male voices, singing hits from the classics such as The Sound of Music, to modern-day musicals Six and The Greatest Showman. Interpersing the songs, each ‘Joseph’ talked about his time in the role and related anecdotes from their performances. They were funny, endearing and for anyone who loves musical theatre, it’s a real treat to get an insight from behind the scenes.

And it was clear that the show has quite a following, with many audience members admitting to seeing the show a number of times.

Mike Holoway is the most experienced of the Josephs – and if you’re of a certain age you might recognise him from 70s TV series The Tomorrow People and the band Flintlock. He has a long list of musical credits, collaborating with Elton John’s co-writer Bernie Taupin and has co-written hit songs for the likes of Tiffany, Sonia, Cindy Lauper and Madonna.

Graham Tudor has appeared in a host of West End productions and also teaches his craft to budding thespians.

Keith Jack will be a familiar face to anyone who enjoyed TV’s Any Dream Will Do, back in 2007, a talent search to find the next Joseph – he came second to Lee Mead, but still ended up playing Joseph in the touring production.

Sam Cassidy also toured in Joseph, and may be familiar to fans of TV’s Stella, in which he played Jonny. He also has a number of musical roles under his belt, including Rocky in The Rocky Horrow Show.

Together, they bring together a wonderful night of music, and refreshingly, they even encourage the audience to sing along to the more lively songs! A recipe for a great star-filled night out!

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