Joseph to shed Dreamcoat after three weeks on show
The star of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will be heading home after just three weeks at the Cultural Centre.
'I'm going back to Australia,' said former pop singer David Dixon, 26, yesterday. 'I had an option in my contract to do the whole of Hong Kong, or not to do the whole show.' Dixon's departure - he will complete his final performance as Joseph next weekend - followed an undisclosed offer to go back to Australia. He denied rumours of behind-the-scenes friction.
'I've got to take opportunities when they arise and, unfortunately, that means leaving now,' he said.
'This is the third Joseph cast I've worked in and I don't know whether it's the nature of the show or the cast, but it's a very happy company. I think they're sorry to see me go.' After more than 700 performances as Joseph since 1993, the amateur pilot wanted to keep working in musicals or 'maybe fly helicopters'.
His replacement, 29-year-old British actor Darren Day, has starred as Joseph at the London Palladium, hosted British television shows You Bet and Don't Try This At Home and sung in the musicals Summer Holiday and Copacabana.
He became the focus of attention for his string of girlfriends, including actresses from British soap operas Brookside and Coronation Street.
'I got the part of Joseph and my life changed,' he said. 'From the moment I walked on stage at the Palladium, sex was being offered to me on a plate and I found it impossible to refuse.' Day is due to take over on May 24 and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will run until late June.
