My first introduction to Joseph was in the Theatre Royal Glasgow in 1976, the next few years provided me with the opportunity to see the musical over 200 times. Sadly I had not been to see the show in the past six; the last time was in the Festival Theatre Edinburgh in 1999.

There are still three main similarities, the great show, good music and John Melvin as Asher. John has been part of this show for absolutely ages and like some other performers get settled in to shows and become part of the basic fabric. Another example, Peter Lawrence was the only actor I saw as both Jacob and Potiphar for well over 100 performances, sadly Peter is no longer with us but I believe he will still be portraying these characters wherever he is now.

The everlasting quality of the show is obvious every time you see it, the main differences are the individual portrayals of the characters by the different casts.   Having seen numerous versions it always amazes me how the script is interpreted slightly differently giving the productions unique looks.

In this tour Ian ‘H’ Watkins plays Joseph reprising his West-End performances, ‘H’ is probably still better known as part of the successful pop band “Steps”. He has also presented several TV shows and had the courage to return to Drama College whilst having a TV crew follow his journey to graduation. His performance was very good, both vocally and his acting, although I had expected it to appear more bouncy or bubbly, I was aware of him having some breathing problems and being covered in sweat, it was only after the show I was able to confirm my suspicion that he was suffering from a bad cold or flu. Despite this infirmity he produced an extremely enjoyable performance.

Having seen Marlon Moore in a show in the Edinburgh Fringe it was great to see him having progressed to playing both Pharaoh and Gad, his clean cut good looks ands great voice should lead him on to having a successful career. Marlon was not entirely happy with his performance but I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to seeing him again in the future in other productions.

It is well known that one of the most demanding and exacting rolls in the show is that of The Narrator and Hannah Grover copes with the demands of the part superbly. Her excellent voice and stunning good looks should stand her in excellent stead for the future.

All in all I was left wondering why I had left my return to Joseph for so long this ensemble are so talented and enthusiastic I had an excellent evening and left wanting more.