Joe McElderry comes to the Playhouse, Weston, in the role of Joseph

X Factor winner JOE McElderry  gets set to put on a dazzling coat of many colours as he steps in the title role of the UK’s longest running musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.

Joe was just 18 when won the sixth series of The X Factor having been mentored by Girls Aloud star Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and beating off fierce competition from Olly Murs and Stacey Solomon.

Joe then soared to number one on the UK Singles Charts with his rendition of Miley Cyrus’s The Climb and his debut album Wide Awake went straight in at number 3 on the UK Albums Chart. He has since gone on to have two more top ten albums, and he became the first X Factor star to release four albums, with a fifth in the making.

Joe, who hails from South Shields, Tyne and Wear, is also the first and only celebrity to win three reality TV shows! He was crowned the winner of the second series of ITV’s Popstar to Operastar before strapping on his skis and slaloming his way to become champion of Channel 4’s celebrity ski competition The Jump last year!

Joseph marks Joe’s first major theatrical appearance following a one-off West End gala performance as the lead in The Who’s Tommy in 2012.

Having garnered sensational reviews and standing ovations at every performance since its inception almost 35 years ago, Bill Kenwright’s ‘Amazing’, ‘Superb’, ‘Wonderful’ and ‘Brilliant’ production of this sparkling family musical has now sold an estimated 20 million tickets. This vibrant and exciting retelling of the biblical story about Joseph, his eleven brothers and the coat of many colours sings out to young and old alike with a score which is crammed wall to wall with hits, including Jacob and Sons, Close Every Door and Any Dream Will Do.

In the last three weeks the Playhouse has announced a series of large scale musicals with the successful negotiation of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, 2016 will currently see the Weston venue play host to three huge productions, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat in the Feb half term, Footloose will arrive on it’s national tour in April 2016 and Avenue Q in June.

Mark Thompson General Manager of the Playhouse said “We are delighted to be following up this October’s Blood Brothers with another phenomenal musical partnership with Bill Kenwright Limited as the wonderful Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat arrives here in Feb 2016. The landslide is changing and the reputation of the Playhouse on touring circuits is growing very quickly firmly putting Weston on the theatre map. Joseph is and has always been my ultimate goal in the wish list of productions to bring to Weston and I’m delighted that Bill Kenwright has entrusted us with this show. It’s a show that is rightfully celebrated by generation after generation and belongs to all the family and I’m sure all members will enjoy the wonderful production in all it’s glory at our town’s home of live entertainment. I remember seeing it as a young child and being mesmorised from start to finish – back then the lead was Phillip Schofield! I’m really excited to see Joe McElderry whose solo shows at the Playhouse have been fantastic put on the coat of many colours for the lead role.. Given our limited capacity here at The Playhouse I advise those who wish to attend to book early to avoid disappointment both The Mousetrap and Blood Brothers have sold very quickly and with Joseph joining us in the half term holidays we expect performances to fill very quickly. If that wasn’t enough, we have both the huge national tours of Footloose and Avenue Q arriving in 2016 both produced by West End producers Sell-a-Door further building on our ambitions of the West End to Weston.

Joseph will arrive at the Playhouse the week of the 15th Feb 2016 for 8 shows. Tickets on sale this week.