OPENING night of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Swindon's Wyvern Theatre showed why Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's first ever show has endured for more than 40 years.

The touring stage show from producer and director Bill Kenwright continues to delight audiences and the Swindon crowd showed their appreciation.

Leaving the dark rain clouds outside, we were transported for two hours into a world of kaleidoscopic colours, where literally anything can happen.

Biblical scenes jostled for space with the American Wild West, Parisian boulevards and, of course, Las Vegas. And who can forget the inflatable sheep!

It tells the story of Joseph, 12th son of Jacob, who is sold off as a slave by his brothers after revealing a bit too much about his visions of a colourful coat.

With such well-known songs including 'Any Dream Will Do' and 'Close Every Door', it was a struggle to resist the temptation to belt them out from my seat.

But the quality of singing from the stage made listening a pleasure.

This production has definitely got the X factor in more ways than one. Joseph is played by Lloyd Daniels, who was a former X Factor finalist.

His excellent voice combined with a youthful boy band charm will ensure that the show now has a next generation of fans. He was, for me, the triumph of the night.

And the narrator, Amelia Lily, who finished third in the X Factor in 2011, making her stage debut with this production, had a crispness and clarity to her voice that made her perfect for the storytelling role.

Choreographer and assistant director Henry Metcalfe is a man of many parts, also playing Jacob (Joseph's father) and Potiphar with the required gravitas.

The choreography was fun and Joseph's brothers in particular took on fast paced routines with aplomb.

Former Eastenders actor Matt Lapinskas stepped into Elvis's white rhinestone suit with ease as Pharaoh and delivered the right amount of hip swivelling that the role demands. Lighting deserves a special mention, from lighting designer Nick Richings, bathing the stage in the required colours to match the mood and location.

So much of this show rests on the quality of the singing and the cast were ably assisted throughout by children from Stagecoach Swindon.

We left the theatre, back into the gloom of a damp Tuesday night, with the dazzle from a multicoloured coat etched on our memories.

*Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is at the Swindon Wyvern Theatre until Saturday, May 23.

Go to swindontheatres.co.uk for more details.