Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Mayflower Theatre

JOE McElderry, the softly-spoken 18-year-old South Shields lad who won the X Factor in 2009, has grown up, filled out and slipped into the coat of many colours for Bill Kenwright’s delightful production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.

The sparkling family musical bursts onto the Mayflower stage in a riot of colour and doesn’t miss a beat as it hurtles at break-neck pace through a succession of familiar crowd-pleasers right through to the roof-raising finale.

With his charming smile and dimpled cheeks, Joe was made for the role of Jacob’s favourite youngest son – and he can really sing; his incredibly powerful, moving rendition of Close Every Door had members of the audience spontaneously jumping to their feet and applauding.

The Biblical tale of the boy who is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and rises to become the Pharaoh’s right-hand man in Egypt is told by narrator Lucy Kay, another reality TV star who was runner-up on last year’s Britain's Got Talent.

Her voice soars to impressive heights as she weaves the threads of the story together, leading the cast through a score of family favourites, including One More Angel in Heaven, Those Canaan Days, Go, Go, Go Joseph and the ultimate crowd-pleaser Any Dream Will Do.

There’s a huge range of musical styles, from country and calypso to some brilliant rock and roll from the Elvis-inspired Pharaoh played by Emilianos Stamatakis.

And there are plenty of laughs, too – mostly from Joseph’s 11 brothers, Pharaoh’s brilliant butler - played by Lewis Asquith - and some amusing inflatable sheep, who seem to have a life of their own! The supporting choir of local Stagecoach performers on either side of the stage are assured and note-perfect, and the whole production is colourfully lit, with fabulous costumes and choreography and impressive musical direction from Kelvin Towse.

Everyone in the audience was up on their feet for the final medley, and some of Joseph’s brothers even leapt into the audience to join the fun.

It’s not hard to see how the everlasting appeal of this musical has made it the longest-running touring show in history. And, while its star can boast victory on TV shows like The X Factor, Popstar to Operastar and The Jump, Joe McElderry’s turn in the coat of many colours may well turn out to be his most winning performance yet.

JANE SULLIVAN

Joseph runs until Saturday.

Tickets: 023 8071 1811 or mayflower.org.uk