I was quite pleased to see that the role of the Narrator was being covered by the understudy, Fiona Reyes, my views of Jenna Lee James were made clear in the previous review, so it was interesting to see a different take. Reyes has a much softer voice, which complemented Gates’ equally softer performance in the lead and so whilst they blended quite well together, I wonder how he is holding up against the considerably more gutsy vocals of Ms James. Funnily enough, in the costume change at the interval, Reyes changed into trousers and a sparkly top which appeared to be the same length as the micro-mini-dress that Ms James is fond of.
So all in all, this is a decent reboot and Gareth Gates acquits himself well in his first West End role, but I have to say I wonder if his name alone will be able to sustain this production of Joseph in the West End in the long run.
EDIT 09/03/09: Of course, having written this post, I then found out this weekend that Joseph has indeed posted closing notices for 30th May. Not a huge surprise it must be said!