31/10/98
The Irish News
Joseph still Amazing
By Tim Brannigan
Hands up for Joseph ... Richard Swerriun takes the strain of his amazingly heavy coat
Once you put the technicolour coat on it's hard to discard as Tim Brannigan found when he talked to Richard Swerrun
RICHARD Swerrun laughs when asked if there is anyone left on the planet who has not yet seen a version of Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat:
"Well to be truthful when I was first asked to do the part I wasn't sure what the story was about. I had this vision of the other Joseph in my head and when I went to see it I was expecting Jesus and Mary to be about somewhere."
Hmm, Joseph the Singing Carpenter doesn't have quite the same ring to it.
For lovers of musicals this is arguably the best of the lot; Joseph is back and this time he's twice as colourful and he can be seen next week dazzling crowds at the Opera House.
The musical which is one of the most popular and enduring of them all comes to town for one week and Richard Swerrun is looking forward to it.
"I've been doing the role for nearly two years now and it's very difficult to walk away from and I've got a great fondness for the part now. Where else am I going to get the chance to play to packed houses every night?"
"There are very few roles in musical theatre quite like Joseph but I must confess that I am going to be giving up the role at the end of this year. The show will run on of course but I feel it's time to do something else I have fulfilled my obligation to it, I've done my time," laughs Richard.
Richard is not only a singer and dancer, he is even a qualified dance teacher.
He made his West End debut in the musical Y and has won the Variety Club award for best vocalist. The QE2 is just one of the many places in which he has performed.
Putting the story into context helps explain the incredible popularity of the show. It was written as a collaboration between Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice in 1968, when Lloyd Webber was asked to write a pop cantata for the choir at the school where his younger brother Julian was a pupil.
It was originally only 15 minutes long but it was greeted with such an excited reaction by the school children that it was quickly made into a full length production.
This extended version was then performed at Westminster Central Hall and St Paul's Cathedral before going to London's West End in 1972. The facts surrounding the show are awesome.
Joseph's coat spans an amazing 12 metres and weighs an astonishing 20kilograms and costs £10,000.
Bill Kenright's production of the musical toured from 1979 breaking box office records and attracting a total audience of five million people.
There have been over 7,500 performance of this production and the 'juggernaut of joy hit the road again in January 1997 where it has been playing to capacity houses. One million people have seen it this year alone.
"It's a wonderful story a rags to riches story and everybody loves those. It begins with Joseph as a young boy who is hated by his eleven brothers because he has got this rare gift for seeing visions and understanding the future.
"He is later thrown into prison and is destitute but because he can tell the Pharaoh's dreams and foretell his dreams the pharaoh gives him an incredibly important position and he becomes rich and powerful."
As a musical of course the songs are crucial and Joseph's appeal is due in no small part to the wide range of musical styles that are continued within the show: "There's something for everybody in it. You can take your granny or your six-year-old daughter with you, everyone will love it.
This production began in the Thorndike Theatre two years ago and the company 'haven't looked back since,' according to Richard.
Richard is taking a month off to consider his options although as a singer and dancer he is likely to stay in musicals. Joseph will always be close to his heart though: "I don't think there's another show around to touch it, I'm afraid it really is extraordinary."
