Euan Fistrovic Doidge has certainly not been type-cast into theatre roles. His list of credits include Paul San Marco in A Chorus Line, Marius in Les Miserables, Felicia in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever and Lewis in Pippin, as well as roles in Kinky Boots, Grease, Legally Blonde, Fun Home and most recently Cruel Intentions.
After the closure of theatres during COVID, Euan Fistrovic Doidge is grateful to be busy with back to back work. His latest role is taking on the iconic title role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
It’s been 30 years since Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat played in Australia. While Euan Fistrovic Doidge is too young to have seen the musical, his parents certainly remember it well and love the show. In fact, his mother cried when her son told her he had been offered the role of Joseph.
Euan Fistrovic Doidge explained he tends to keep his auditions to himself and only informs his parents when he’s been cast, so the news about playing Joseph was a huge surprise. His mother was immediately on the phone, calling people in New Zealand where he was born.
“I have so much love and support behind me. I’m very lucky, and I’m excited I get to share this experience with them.”
Although it’s been 30 years since it last played here, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has been a popular musical for school and community groups, so the show is already familiar to many people. The musical was also released as a direct-to-video film starring Donny Osmond in the iconic role of Joseph. When theatres were closed during COVID this was made available for free public viewing online, allowing more people to watch this musical around the world. However audiences can expect to see a new version of this much loved musical.
“It’s a new version of the show people are going to see, coming straight from the London Palladium to the Regent Theatre. The changes are for the right reason, to appeal to an audience in 2022 without steering too far away from the original production.”
When preparing for a role, Euan Fistrovic Doidge generally avoids watching video clips of previous productions of shows, trusting the creative process and his own understanding of the character, knowing he will be steered in the right direction during the rehearsal period. However, he decided he’d watch some clips of previous productions of Joseph, given the long time since the last Australian production and the fact this was a new version being staged.
When Euan Fistrovic Doidge dons the coat of many colours he follows in the footsteps of some very big names. While David Dixon played Joseph in the Australian season 30 years ago, audiences worldwide most associate the role of Joseph being played by either Donny Osmond or Jason Donovan. Now it is Euan Fistrovic Doidge’s turn to create his own unique interpretation of Joseph.
“I feel incredibly grateful and very honoured that I get to step into the Joseph coat.”
And in terms of all those colours … Euan Fistrovic Doidge’s favourite colour is blue.
“It used to be red when I was in my teens, but now it’s definitely blue. It’s calming. It’s sophisticated. It never goes out of style, I love it! Anywhere there’s blue in the house, or the ocean, I’m a happy boy!”
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is now playing at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne’s East End Theatre District.
For more details: https://josephthemusical.com.au/
