CRAIG Chalmers as Joseph was my 12-year-old daughter's 'Amazing Technicolor Dream-boat'.

Many of you will remember 25-year-old Craig as one of the more popular contestants in the recent hit BBC series, 'Any Dream Will Do'. He made it into the final five, apparently, although I didn't watch the programme myself.

Having seen Joseph performed before – once with Jason Donovan playing the lead and another time with Phillip Schofield – I didn't expect an unknown who'd failed to win an Andrew Lloyd Webber moneyspinner to equal their performances.

But hey Craig, I take it all back. You did great and not only that, I also grossly under-estimated the effect you would have on my 12-year-old and all the other young swooning girl fans in the audience.

As far as my daughter was concerned, you were simply 'Amazing'.

Tara Bethan – who made it into the top 10 in follow-up TV talent show, I'd Do Anything – was a charming narrator; more than a match for anybody I'd seen in the role before and you could understand every single word she sang, which is so important when you're responsible for delivering the story to the audience.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Joseph musical has been doing the theatre rounds since the early 70s but this Bill Kenwright
production proves how timeless it is.

Joseph isn't a serious show. It's fun from the word go, bright and colourful, a real feel-good piece of theatre – very similar to the Abba-inspired Mamma Mia in fact, currently enjoying new popularity as a movie.

Although this production sticks faithfully to the original story, there's ever-so-slight changes here and there which bring it into the present.

The gospel choir singing the concluding song of the first half, 'Go Go Go Joseph', was a powerful, fresh rendition of this big full-cast number.

The show's always been tongue-in-cheek and camp, and in this vein, it didn't disappoint.

Even my hubby (not really a Lloyd Webber fan, who before the performance admitted he didn't know quite what to expect) couldn't help laughing at the corny bits, particularly the 'pop-up' sheep and talking camel's head.

He even clapped after most of the songs which is quite rare as applause is something he usually saves for the finale.

But then, you'd have had to be pretty miserable not to enjoy this production, which was the liveliest and most energetic I've seen.

The all-important 11 brothers were portrayed with great spirit and energy, as well as humour and togetherness.

Their rendition of 'One More Angel In Heaven', when they tell their father Joseph has died slaying a goat, was undoubtedly a highlight of the night.

It would also be amiss not to mention another 'Any Dream Will Do' finalist, Antony Hansen, who played the Elvis Presley-inspired Pharaoh in legendary Elvis style.

And more importantly for me, he made my daughter's dreams come true when – along with 'Dreamboat' Chalmers – they signed her programme and posed for a picture after the show. A perfect end to an uplifting evening.

* Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat is at the Grand Theatre in Blackpool until this Saturday (July 19). For tickets, phone the box office on 01253 290190, or email box@blackpoolgrand.co.uk