Jospeh and His Amazing Technicoloured Labcoat

Every year, the 4th year medics put on a musical to raise funds for their Final Year Ball.

My first encounter with this was back in 2nd year when I was a puny little medical student.
The musical by the then 4th years was entitled Burke and Hare (yup, you got it right, the famous body snatchers of Edinburgh) and it was one word : -

Brilliant.

I remember the moment I walked out of the theatre, I immediately decided that when 4th year came, I'll definitely take part, come what may, in my year's musical, despite lacking in the singing, dancing and even stage appearance department.

But, that doesn't mean the play has got no space for me right?

Of course it does!

So, with my inch-thick skin, I dragged myself to the horribly embarrassing auditions (just a formality really) and was casted to be part of the chorus.

The many different colours of Joseph's Coat

Practices started in March, every Sunday for 3 freaking hours. 3 HOURS! And we only learn one song per week. To be honest, the chorus only has 4 songs so it really isn't that difficult. But 3 hours was required for crowd control and just to get everyone to generally shut up and listen to the directors.

Then of course, in between I skived tonnes of practices due to Easter, the retreat, my trip to Manchester etc etc. However, since my part was as minor as could be, it didn't really matter though I am positive the directors were not very happy with my absence. But I cannot help it.

Sigh, priorities, priorities.

Without further ado, let's move straight on to the play itself.

24-26 April 2008 was the debut of our musical:- Joseph and His Amazing Technicoloured Labcoat at Pleasance Theatre.


Running exclusively for 3 nights ONLY, our play can be summarised into three words:

Pretty Darn Brilliant.

Completely sold out for every single performance, with each night getting progressively more and more packed (people ended up sitting on the stairs/standing), I believe that the 4th year medics gave many of London's West End musicals a proper run for their money.

Applying make up for each other

Not only did we come up with our own script (although the idea is taken from the Bible and also a West End Musical), we also rewrote the lyrics for all the songs, had our own props, settled our own make up, hair, costumes, and of course, had our very own full blown Orchestra.

Back combing, back combing...

Well, if you have read up to here, I suppose you would like to know the story line.

So, very very briefly :-

Joseph, a transfer student from Cambridge appears amongst the high and mighty students of Edinburgh only to prove that he is smarter than them. By A Lot. He saves a patient by performing a tracheotomy (a trache- what? Go Google) and is bestowed the highest accolade that Edinburgh University gives its students - The Amazing Technicoloured Labcoat.


Now this doesn't go down too well them as really, we Edinburghans are quite an arrogant bunch. So they got poor Joseph drunk and sells him off to a Freak Show that was passing by. Hence, Joseph is down graded to a slave, and is left cleaning and scrubbing floors in the house of the Head of the Freaks.

Of course, the wife of the Head of the Freaks takes a fancy to Joseph and seduces him.

The wife and her chambermaids

And of course, they are found out by the Head (although Joseph tries his best to avoid her) and Joseph gets imprisoned. While mulling over his misfortunes, he meets a pair of Siamese Twins and lo and behold! manages to successfully separate them.

Siamese through and through

His fame reaches the ears of the Head of the Freaks once again who at that time is suffering from a very serious problem of man boobs aka moobs (aka having gynaecomastia. Google it. Alternatively, see below: )

Male boobs. Get it?

So at his wits end, the Head of the Freaks calls upon Joseph who manages to remove his boobs (by bursting it with a scalpel) and hence Joseph is promoted to the head of the General Medical Council (GMC).

Cheesy, cheesy

The Edinburgh medical students by now have graduated and having not done very well in their exams; are jobless. So they go to the GMC and begs Joseph (whom they do not recognise) to give them jobs which he does. However, Joseph having not forgotten their past, decides to test their integrity and plants a fake ear in one of the student's bags and accuses them for stealing. To his delight, they all stood up for each other and took the blame for it together.

Again, cheesy, cheesy

So Joseph then reveals himself and it is all hunky dory as the play wraps up with the song of Don't Stop Me Now by Queen.

Don't strike me off... (Don't Stop Me Now)

Although I was on stage for a total of probably 15 minutes (4 songs, about 3 plus minutes per song?) I still had loads of fun and was on a perpetual high after every night of the play.

I suppose this is the closest I'll ever get to major stage performance but I have to say I was really impressed with the quality of performers, dancers, music, singers, in fact - everything! we had.

A few really fantabulous performances include an a capella song performed by 4 very lovely boys:



Joseph singing a song when he is in prison to the song Supreme by Robbie Williams:



complete with an intro of Any Dream Will Do by our fantastic orchestra.


Now that it is all over, done and dusted, I can only hope that we made a huge fat wad of cash for our final year ball and can probably have it at the Edinburgh Castle or something.

That's aiming a bit too high though.

After all, I am a bit too old for fairytales.