Joseph tells our story, but does audience realise it?

The story of Joseph and his brothers is fundamental to the biblical history of the Jewish people. Joseph was one of the 12 sons of Jacob, one of the Jewish people’s forefathers, and first of two sons of Rachel, one of our nation’s foremothers. You don’t get much more intrinsic to our Jewish history than that. The story features prominently in Genesis, the first book of our Torah.

Jacob and his 12 sons, six of whom were the sons of Jacob’s first wife, Leah, also a matriarch, were the original children of Israel, the name G-d gave to Jacob after he wrestled with the angel of G-d. These sons became the 12 tribes of Israel.

So, it seemed quite fortuitous or perhaps ironic that in these difficult times, when Israel has been lambasted as colonialist and invader of Palestine, Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is on show at Montecasino.

And what a spectacular show it is! The singing, dancing, and costumes are magnificent. It takes this age-old story and spruces it up, bejazzling a 50-year-old musical. Anton Luitingh and Duane Alexander, the joint directors, took the biblical musical created by Andrew Lloyd Webber, the composer, and Tim Rice, the lyricist, and gave it what they called a “fresh coat of paint”.

Being in the house on opening night was electric, with the packed-to-the-rafters audience clapping and whooping through the show at all the right places. Some may well have been acquainted with the musical, having seen various renditions before, but I couldn’t help but wonder if the story may have been lost on others.

As Joseph, performed spectacularly by young Dylan Janse van Rensburg, sings the poignant words from the song, “Close every door to me,” I went quite cold.

As he lay on the floor of some kind of jail in Egypt, having been sold as a slave, he sings, “Close every door to me; hide all the world from me; bar all the windows and shut out the light. Do what you want with me; hate me and laugh at me. Darken my daytime; and torture my night…”

Hearing this, I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone was thinking of the children of Israel still being held hostage after 657 days in captivity in Gaza. Their captivity is the main reason for the continuation of the war.

The song goes on with the chilling words, “Close every door to me; Keep those I love from me. Children of Israel are never alone. For we know we shall find our own peace of mind; for we have been promised a land of our own.”

Those words, written more than 50 years ago by Tim Rice, describe the story of the Jews, a story that predates Jews being given the land of Israel after they escaped slavery in Egypt. It predates Islam. It predates Christianity. It’s the beginning of the Jewish world, our relationship with G-d, and the land of Israel. The same land that was named after Joseph’s father, Jacob, aka Israel.

I wondered as I heard the whooping and cheering after that emotive song was sung if people really heard the words and resonated with how clear it was that Israel was born out of this same story, the story of Joseph, his brothers, Egypt, Pharaoh, the history of the Jews? Or was it just a beautiful song sung in all its magnificence to the audience?

It certainly wasn’t lost on me that there wasn’t one Jewish name in the cast or production team. Not that there has to be. Webber and Rice certainly weren’t Jewish, and probably most of those who have performed these roles haven’t been Jewish. That’s the way it is. Suffice to say, the show was outstanding, and deserved the standing ovation it got. It’s a true spectacle, with phenomenal performances, and deserves a packed theatrical run. And my musings are that of a Jewish journalist, who happened to be loving every minute of sitting in the audience on opening night.

• Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is on at the Pieter Toerien main theatre at Montecasino until 28 September.