Acclaimed singer and actor Richard Swerrun, star of Joseph which begins its run at the Millennium Forum later this month, was in Londonderry for a flying visit last week.
But he took time out to speak to the NW Telegraph about the demands of the role, hitting a top 'C' 75 feet above the ground and the perils of disappearing loin cloths.
Although not yet a household name to many, Swerrun has an impeccable pedigree having performed extensively in the West End in a variety of musicals including Oklahoma, Westside Story and, of course, Joseph.
He also performs a solo big band show and has performed for the Thai Royal family in Bangkok.
Having now donned the technicolor mantle over 3,000 times there is no excuse for forgetting his lines but other potential pitfalls are less easy to control, he says.
The coat itself for example takes the entire cast to lift it at the show's finale.
"Joseph is a very demanding role as you are on stage all the time for two hours. I tend to lose about six pounds a week while performing," he says.
"I have played many leading roles but Joseph is unique in terms of character development. At the start I play him as an 11-year-old boy and by the end he is 42-years-old. It is very different which is probably why I keep doing it."
He relishes the opportunity to flex his acting muscles in the role.
"I love the acting side of things. I adore singing but I also love being able to portray Joseph because there is a lot of drama and angst involved in the part," he says.
The show continues to develop from its original manifestation as a 15 minute drama which keeps the performances fresh.
Swerrun says, for example, that those who have seen the show before can expect the odd surprise.
"It never really stops growing. The show began as a 15 minute school play and has developed from there, each production brings something new to it. It's like the coats I wear in the show, they keep getting bigger and more expansive.
"People will find new things in this performance."
Swerrun is in the strange position of being highly regarded within his own millieux but unfamiliar to most.
He explains: "I think because I wasn't a TV personality it was only in the West End where I became known. But I must have played every major theatre in the land touring with Joseph and then doing my concert tours."
For him it is important to travel with the show, to introduce it to a wider audience.
"The West End is a magical place," he reflects.
"But it is very expensive and, therefore, limits who comes to see it not just due to this but also geographically. I love coming to places like Derry or the North of England and Scotland where people may not have had the chance to see something like this. The reaction is amazing."
But things do not always go smoothly despite his 100% record of standing ovations.
"When I am performing in the West End there is a moment where I am elevated on a hydraulic platform 75 feet out over the audience. I've never fallen off but trying to hold a top 'C' that high up can be difficult. In addition my loin cloth has been known to fall off on occasion.
"I have it held up with straps, velcro, pins you name it but it has happened a few times when you suddenly find yourself grabbing for it," he laughs.
Musicals have had a resurgence in popularity of late, and much of this is a result of high budget movie adaptations.
"I think that's right," he says.
"It goes in cycles, and it sometimes takes something like Chicago or Evita to capture the public's imagination. Joseph is a bit like that as well, it is a fantastic introduction to the genre for people who may not have seen a musical before."
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat begins at the Millennium Forum on Monday, February 21 and runs until Saturday, February 26.
WHEN Richard Swerrun literally bounces into the Circle Bar at Malvern Theatres it's impossible not to smile back at his beaming grin.
A ball of energy, he brushes his hands through his shoulder-length blond locks and places a hand over his impressively tanned - if not rather exposed - chest.
Just seconds after meeting the Malvern-born man it's easy to understand how he bagged the leading role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, about to burst on to the town's stage later this month in a whistle-stop tour of the country.
And for Richard, he's no stranger to the role. For he is proud to announce that this tour will see him making his 3,000th performance as Joseph.
"Which means I'll have sung Any Dream Will Do 12,000 times because you sing it four times each show, so there's no excuse for fluffing the words," said Richard, throwing his head back and letting out a dramatic laugh.
Oozing charisma, I expect Richard to tell me he took to the stage at the age of two and has never looked back, but was surprised to hear he was what he described as a "late starter".
It wasn't until he was 17 and he joined WODS (Worcester Operatic and Dramatic Society) that he discovered his unbridled passion - but he certainly made up for lost time.
During his first year of dance school in London he decided to have a stab at an audition for the West-End musical Y - "just for the hell of it".
Meant as a learning curve, he was gobsmacked when he was told he had landed the leading vocalist role (for which he later won one of his now many accumulated awards) and beat off 6,000 other hopefuls vying for the part.
And it's unsurprising his skills were spotted so early. For it seems Richard is the definition of the term "natural talent".
He passed ballet exams that normally take 14 years to master in just two-and-a-half years - which he puts down to spending years in orthopaedic splints to try and straighten his bow legs. "An affliction that went in my favour", he says.
And he is first to confess he has never had a singing lesson in his life - instead learning his vocal skills by miming and singing as a child to classic greats such as Sinatra and Garland.
His work has seen him singing, directing choreographing, producing and dancing his way around the world, including his own one-man show and performing for the Thai Royal Family in Bangkok.
Being coy about his age, he admits he's worked in the business for more than just one decade, and said he felt fortunate that he has never been short of work.
But for Richard, he couldn't be more delighted to be back on stage in his hometown.
"I love performing here then being able to walk my dog home after the show," he chuckles.
"Seriously though, there's so much history here for me. It has a very special place in my heart.
"And having so many of my friends and family come to see the show it makes it more nerve-wracking than walking out in front of the London Palladium.
"I feel like people are coming to see me rather than the show, which is scary but great."
And Richard won't be the only local lad starring in the show. He'll be joined by 23-year-old Gregory Bradley, who was born in Gloucester but lived for more than 10 years in Ledbury and Hereford.
It's Gregory's debut appearance at Malvern Theatres, but he has fond memories of visiting it as a child.
"I'm really excited about the part and being here," he said.
He plays Benjamin, one of Joseph's 11 brothers in the legendary musical penned by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, which will be at the theatre from Monday, February 28 until Saturday, March 5.
Hastings & St Leonards Observer, Friday, April 1, 2005.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
White Rock Theatre, Hastings
Opening Night (March 29)
THE great English philosopher Thomas Hobbes once pithily observed that all human life is 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short'; but even that old curmudgeon had to admit that life offers rare moments when reality can raise itself to match the dream.
I suspect that just such a moment descended on the staff of the White Rock Theatre at about 9.40pm on Tuesday (March 29) as they watched a full-house slowly - reluctantly, even - emptying on to the dark and rainy seafront after the truly triumphant opening night of Joseph.
For the management of the town's premier entertainment venue it must have been a sweet moment indeed.
After all, they had just staged a hitch-free presentation of an internationally famous, Lloyd Webber-Rice show performed by a high-grade 'West End' cast to a packed auditorium who just couldn't get enough of what was happening down on the stage.
And if the great theatre producers' mantra of 'It's about bums on seats, luvvy ... bums on seats' remains the Holy Grail of theatrical pursuit, the White Rock has certainly struck gold with this offering.
I can't quite remember when I last saw the place crackling with such energy and delight - either on-stage or in the stalls.
Richard Swerrun was consummate in his charismatic portrayal of Joseph, the singing narration of Abigail Jaye paced the show perfectly and the ensemble playing of the magnificently choreographed cast was immaculate.
The smaller size of the White Rock leant an intimacy to the playing that might perhaps have been less easy to create in a home London theatre; in any event, the connection between cast and audience was struck instantaneously and never faltered.
It's one thing to see enjoyment in those watching a show, it's another to feel the pleasure and enjoyment of the performers themselves. Both were in abundance on Tuesday night.
The management of the White Rock Theatre deserve the highest praise for working hard to bring this scintillating show to Hastings.
The only question left in my mind was: when are we getting the next one?
