As one of two narrators for the show, Grainger has a lot of responsibility for the show’s overall success. He and his fellow narrator Cynan Huirama-Glennie, are not only stage for the entire show, but they do a lot of the heavy lifting in telling the story in song throughout. Both actors rise to the challenge admirably, with a beautiful balance achieved between Grainger’s more mature style, and Huirama-Glennie’s more deliberately naive style. Huirama-Glennie has great stage physicality, and brings wonderful energy to the role.
As an actor, Grainger shows plenty of maturity and thought in his performance, with some of his best moments in the show coming from when he is technically in the background, sipping a cocktail, or letting a slave brush his shoe, when with a simple arch of his eyebrow, he draws the audience in on the joke. He is a clear standout performer in this show, without ever overstepping or stealing a scene.
As Joseph, Benjamin Bartlett is well cast. A great voice and a confident stage presence throughout, one of his best performances comes when he grapples with the desires of Potiphar’s wife. As he and Mrs Potiphar, played by Jamie Boyd, let passion take them over, the two of them manage to balance the comedy of the scene, with enough maturity to not allow it to drop into slapstick.
Boyd is another great actor, and he does a brilliant job in drawing out the visual comedy of the drag/ pantomime dame-like costume and hair and makeup, while still giving his character depth, drawing out her wish to make her husband look up from his accounts.
As Potiphar himself, Alejandro Bellringer is a real star. He is great fun to watch and is definitely a young actor to watch in the future.
Another one to watch is Ghannam Syafii as the butler. He is confident on stage, projecting his voice well while showing a clear understanding of physicality and movement. He’s well-matched in his scene with Max Toon as the baker, who has some great facial expressions in his scenes, drawing out the comedy nicely.
Connell Hagenson as Jacob is another actor who brings a thoughtful and nuanced performance to the stage. He develops his character throughout, from the father who sees no fault to an older, wiser man struggling to keep his family alive in a famine.
All the actors playing Joseph’s brothers are excellent fun to watch, especially as they, with the assistance of 11 female actors who have been cast in the show, dance, twist and turn their ways through some pretty impressive dance routines.
Choreography was by Lisa Stuck and her daughter Alex, also one of the female actors in the show, and the duo have done an incredible job of creating fantastic group and ensemble dance scenes that really elevate the show.
Oskar Ellmoos plays eldest brother Reuben, with a standout performance of One More Angel a highlight of the show. He’s ably assisted in this song by Ella Bartlett, with her beautiful voice sending shivers down the spine at times.
George Ogier and Blake Downer as brothers Simeon and Judah respectively, also lead individual songs and both really lean into the theme and style. Ogier with the French cabaret tango tones, and Downer with the reggae beat of Benjamin Calypso. Both have great vocal skills well suited to their roles.
Talking of great vocal skills and leaning into a particular style, Isaac Cameron’s Elvis-style Pharaoh is deserving of every scream he gets on stage. He keeps in character throughout, but never allows his character to be one-dimensional.
There isn’t a beat missed in this show, and the bad news is - there’s not a seat to be had either, as it’s already sold out. The good news is, while some of the standout actors like Grainger are in their final year of school, with a cast packed with talent across the younger years too, there’s no doubt next year’s show is likely to be another winner - so get your seats early for the 2025 production.
