Nearly 800 people filled the Sanderson Centre for Mavis Production’s showing of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on Saturday, May 16, 2026.
Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a musical retelling of Joseph from the Book of Genesis, his eleven brothers, their father Jacob and a coat of many colours.
Told entirely through song, the Narrator (played by Victoria Butler) tells the tale of Joseph (Chase Montgomery), an upbeat dreamer and the favourite son of Jacob (Miles Jun). Plagued by jealousy after their father gifts Joseph with a multi-coloured coat, the brothers decide to sell the dreamer into slavery and fake his death.
Joseph goes on to win the approval of an Egyptian noble named Potiphar (Duane Thibert), but finds himself thrown in jail after a misunderstanding involving his master’s wife. While in jail, Joseph discovers his ability to interpret dreams, and he soon finds himself in a new, high-ranking position as the advisor to the Pharaoh.
Over a decade later, the eleven brothers are starving and feeling the effects of famine. They decide to go to Egypt and grovel for food, unaware the very person they’re asking is their brother Joseph. After playing a trick on his brothers, the story ends with a family reunion between Joseph, his brothers and their father Jacob.
Throughout the run of the show, the Mavis Production’s cast naturally captured the intent of the flashy, over-the-top musical.
Montgomery’s portrayal of Joseph captured the character’s energy and optimism, while the cast making up the brothers brought a strong sense of jealousy and rivalry to their roles.
Butler’s role as the Narrator showed off a strong vocal ability and a playful stage presence.
Supported by an off-stage choir, children’s ensemble and dance ensemble, the production was fun, dramatic and entertaining all at the same time. With modern references thrown into it, like Butler taking a quick selfie with the brothers, the show had the audience chuckling along in their seats.
Costumes, set pieces and props, along with actors moving throughout the audience and the and the use of the Sanderson Centre’s rigging system to move pieces up and down from the ceiling, all worked to bring the production to life.
After the show, Brantford residents Jessica Chard, Heather McLeod and Brynlea Webb shared their thoughts on the performance.
Chard, whose two daughters, Maggie and Avery, played two of the brothers, said she felt proud to see them on stage.
“My oldest daughter has done one production with Mavis before, but this was my youngest daughter’s first production ever. It was cool to see them on stage because I know how hard they worked to get to this point, so it was really great,” she said. “It’s funny because I took Avery and Maggie to see Joseph three years ago in Toronto. That was Maggie’s first musical she went to see and she said, ‘I’ll be in the musical one day,’ so this is a big moment for her.”
McLeod and Webb also shared that they enjoyed the show.
“I’ve never seen Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat before, and I thought it was great,” she said. “I really like the light up coat at the end.”
“It was really well done. I really liked the part with the camel,” added Webb with a chuckle. “It was one of my favourite parts.”
The three agreed that it was also nice to be able to visit the Sanderson Centre and see live theatre.
“I think the best part is that, because we don’t get to have these bigger productions come to Brantford, it’s nice to see smaller theatre become big theatre in Brantford,” said Chard.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
