Meteoric rise for Keith

But Keith Jack’s own journey has been no less meteoric.

Just a few years ago, Keith, currently on tour in the lead role in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, was working in Tescos.

Now he’s carving out a dream career in musical theatre on the back of a couple of top-selling albums and sell-out tours.

“The strange thing is that what I loved the most in the world is now my job,” says Keith who brings Joseph to Worthing’s Pavilion Theatre, from Thursday March 29 – Saturday March 31.

The turning point was, of course, Keith’s success on the BBC1 show Any Dream Will Do, when he came second to Lee Mead, narrowly missing out on the leading role of Joseph in a new West End production.

In the event, Keith joined the show as narrator and then, a couple of years ago, after a couple of years away from the show, he was asked back, this time to play Joseph.

“I had left as the narrator in the middle of 2008, and I think it was good to have had the break. I did albums and tours, and I never thought I would go back to it. But then I got the offer.”

The attraction is that it is just such a great role to play.

“Everyone gets brought up on Joseph. It’s a timeless piece. It has got humour and lots of pathos, and the megamix at the end is just brilliant!

“I spoke to Lee before I did the show, and he gave me some good advice. He said the worst thing you can do is try to mimic someone else’s Joseph. You have got to bring part of yourself to it, and that’s what I have tried to do.

“Everyone thinks that I am young and fun-loving on stage because that’s how I am off stage, but actually on stage I am a bit more serious. The later stuff where he has power over his brothers and where it is all a bit more serious is probably the kind of bit that I like to do best.”