who is the better?
my mum is a big fan of the musical, so my dad and I are trying to organize taking her to london to see it.
the only problem is that the shows before her bday have sold out, and the other closest ones is lewis bradley
(im not complaining about lewis, i loved him!)


so yeah, is it better to see lewis nearer birthday, or have her wait and see lee?

Hi jane-hen12

I've seen the show a few times with Lee as the lead, but also travelled to London last week specifically to see how Lewis was doing

Lewis is certainly not embarrassing himself in the role, but is definitely lacking in some areas compared with Lee. If your mother is a fan of the musical rather than just Lee, then I don't think she'd be disappointed with Lewis in the part - I heard no adverse comments from those sitting near me on Weds - but of the two Lee is definitely the better performer. Hope this helps

My husband and I went to see Lee in October and then we and our 2 married children (6 of us) went to see Lewis on the 14th. I would say we preferred Lewis - mainly because of his youth and the way he stands out from his brothers. He portrays cockiness brilliantly and shows emotion so touchingly that you can't believe he is only 18. Lee is a more mature polished performer but as 'Joseph' is just an explosion of colour and energy you don't need that. We all adored it and came out with huge smiles on all our faces.

thanks both of you!
i know she saw the musical when she was younger n really liked it
and i know she really liked lee, but would have been okay with it if lewis had won!
tbh she was just happy as long as it wasnt keith lmao!
i may have to drop hints about which she'd prefer...argh!

A good friend of mine from Kent has seen both Lee and Lewis in London as she has been a Joseph fanatic for many years and she preferred Lewis as Joseph... saying that he "looked" more like a Joseph and she thought he played Joseph with more 'humility' and said that Lee was a bit 'hyper' at times and looked sometimes a bit over exhuberant.

She hasn't yet seen Craig play Joseph but has tickets for April and judging by my endless comments to her about Craig in Edinburgh, it sounds like Lewis plays the part similarly to Craig, which I though was full of emotion and also humour at times when required!

We both think Josephs should be blonde after seeing Jason Donovan and Aled Jones play the part some years ago and I also saw Phillip Scofield but I never liked his voice as Joseph!

Having just spoken to my friend again about Lewis, I think whoever sees Lewis playing Joseph won't be disappointed, unless they want to see Lee rather than Joseph (if you see what I mean)!

IMO ticket availability is a bit of a clue here, but i am biased. If as you said your mum likes lee i would wait and get tickets to see lee he is absolutely fantastic in the role, and the sight of him in a loincloth is not to be missed

His voice is both powerful and emotional and even Andrew Lloyd Webber said he is the best actor to have played the role for decades.

I have seen Lee play Joseph and it was a wonderful night but I would also like to see Lewis play it as well.

As a mum myself I would say go when it's near to your mum's birthday unless she is a huge fan of Lee's and not keen on Lewis. I have heard lots of good reviews about Lewis and from Lee fans too. Normally I go to the theatre to see the show and not necessarily the people in it. Hope that helps.

The last time I saw Joseph I rang See Tickets. The website was sold out but they had tickets via phone. So you could try ringing.

also you can often get tickets here

http://www.albemarle-london.com/

when See have none left, you have to pay slightly more though.

If you're very lucky, as I was in December, you might get a return ticket. They are usually on offer about half an hour before the show and you need to queue outside for them. You may also need to be able to pay cash for them. Good luck!

You can also get premium tickets, which are made available two weeks before the performance they're for. Might be an option if you want to see Lee. You pay more for them, but they're good seats (usually row F in the stalls) and you get a free programme with them!

If I were you I'd ask mum if she has any preference for who she would prefer to see before commiting to buying tickets. If you don't want to come out and say "we're buying tickets for your birthday", perhaps you could sit her down at the computer and show her some youtube clips of Lee/Lewis to gauge her reaction.

I'm the opposite - I prefer Joseph to be dark! I find it a bit off-putting when a blonde bloke who looks like he stepped off a catwalk (or out of a boyband) is singing about himself and his fellow Isrealites getting a land of their own! LOL!

I think that's one area where Lee excels (apart from his obvious vocal/acting talent and general stage presence) - as my mum said (the day after the ADWD final, when she asked me who won), "He looked the part even before he opened his mouth!" LOL!

I had never seen Joseph before I went in August and didn't really know anything about the show until ADWD.

My thoughts on what Joseph would be like was dark and therefore Lee fitted the bill for me.

My Sister who has seen Joseph on several occasions, this being one of her favourite shows thought that Lewis fitted the bill perfectly.

It's different strokes for different folks.

You could possibly talk about the reviews on both as a general conversation piece and see what your Mum says. Anyway let us know your decision.

I saw Lewis on December 7th, you can see my review in Lewis's appreciation thread for full details but I loved his performance and thought he was brilliant in the part.

Lewis was covering for Lee because he was off sick with bronchitis and bless him had only down the role as Joseph twice before, but he was in fine voice, very professional and absolutely gorgeous. I knew he was tall but my goodness you really didn't realise how tall he was until seeing him on the stage with the other actors and actresses.

For an eighteen year old, he has so much confidence and can only get even better. He already has a lot of star quality and suits the role of Joseph perfectly although I also love Craig Chalmers who I have seen on the touring version twice and hope to see again at least twice this year.

Please give the touring version a go too, you won't be disappointed. I can honestly say seeing both the West End and touring versions that both are so well done, sung extremely well and visually marvellous.

I am sure Lee will also be marvellous in the part too, he is a very talented young man but personally for me not quite right for Joseph. Is it ok to say that I think the part is too good for him, he is such a good actor, it will be brilliant to see him in something dark and mysterious. He would make a fabulous Heathcliff or something. Having said that, for him to cut his teeth on a first West End starring role, I am sure he is loving his time in Joseph as it is such a marvellous, fantastic and wonderful production.

Enjoy whoever you see in the part,

Love and stuff Siouxsie xxxx

I saw Lee the other night and thought he was really really good, a very stronger singer and IMO he is the right Joseph. The whole show was good though so i think Lewis would be great to watch too!

thanks
i asked her (couldnt be bothered wtih the guess work!!)
and she said lewis...but now reckons it will cost too much...which is why i said we shouldnt tell her
I WILL GET HER THERE =] haha

I went last night with a friend who wanted to see Lewis. I wasn't that struck with Lewis in ADWD but I have to say he was great, and the whole show is so upbeat - especially the second half.

The thing I liked about seeing Lewis is he's not doing it nearly as often and I'm sure on last night's performance he's going to have a very long successful career, so it's something to bore people with in later years when he comes on the telly - 'Oh yes I saw him in one of his earliest West End appearances, brilliant performance!!!!!'