Any Dream Will Do!
This week I decided to post my thoughts about Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, an incredible musical about the Biblical story of Joseph, his brothers, Egypt, and of course, his technicolor dreamcoat. This musical is not currently on Broadway, so this review will be about the 1999 film version.
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History
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (let's call it Joseph from now on) premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival in 1972 before making its West End debut in 1973. Joseph made its official Broadway debut in 1983, with a lot of success, which prompted a national tour (Wikipedia). In 1999, a film adaptation was released, starring Donny Osmond as Joseph and Maria Friedman as the Narrator. A recording of the Original Canadian cast album was released in 1994 (Barnes & Noble).
Who's in the Cast?
Donny Osmond had played the role of Joseph in both the Toronto and national tour versions of Joseph. Maria Friedman starred as the Narrator, a character who is outside of the story and provides the audience with both information and comedic relief, although at times she infiltrates the story. Other roles of significance include Richard Attenborough as Jacob, Ian McNeice as Potiphar, and Robert Torti as Pharaoh.
Overview
Our story begins with the Narrator, who sings to the listening children about reaching for your dreams, and how she is going to tell them a tale about a boy who's dreams came true (Prologue). Joseph then enters, and sings an inspiring song about dreams, void of meaning thus far (Any Dream Will Do). The characters then delve into the scene. The Narrator introduces Jacob (Joseph's father) and his 11 brothers. It is revealed that Joseph is Jacob's favorite son, and because of this, Jacob gifts Joseph a "technicolor" coat fit for a king. This fuels intense jealousy in Joseph's brothers, but Joseph is too enamored with his new coat to notice (Jacob & Sons/Joseph's Coat).
Joseph has a dream involving 11 sheaves of corn bowing down to a greater sheave, and another dream about 11 stars bowing down to a bigger star. He wonders if these dreams mean he is meant for something higher in his life than being a shepherd. His brothers are mad at the idea of bowing to him, and although they don't believe in his ability to interpret dreams to reality, they are slightly worried the dreams may come true, and plot to get ride of Joseph (Joseph's Dreams). They throw Joseph down a well, then change their minds and sell him to passing Ishmaelites in order to make money. They proceed to rip up his coat and wet it with goat's blood as he is dragged away to be a slave (Poor, Poor Joseph).
The brothers then lie to Jacob, saying Joseph died trying to protect them all from an attacking goat, and show the ripped and bloody coat to Jacob as proof. They "comfort" their father, but once he is out of sight, they have a party and celebrate the end of Joseph and his dreams (One More Angel in Heaven). Meanwhile, Joseph has been sold to Potiphar, a wealthy businessman. Potiphar likes Joseph as a slave, and promotes him, which catches the eye of Mrs. Potiphar. She attempts to seduce him, and although Joseph resists, Potiphar accuses him of seducing his wife, and throw him into jail (Potiphar). Joseph, alone in jail, laments his life, how he feels shut off from God and his family, and how insignificant he feels (Close Every Door).
Two additional prisoners are added to his jail cell, a Butler and Baker, from the Pharaoh's court. They tell Joseph of their dreams, hoping he will be able to tell if they will live or die. Joseph reveals that the Butler will be able to serve in the Pharaoh's court again, but the Baker is to be executed. Other prisoners in the jail encourage Joseph to follow his own dreams, upon hearing his interpretation of dreams (Go, Go, Go Joseph).
Act II begins with the Narrator again, who sings a power ballad about Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt. She describes how powerful Pharaoh is, and reveals that he has had a dream he can't interpret, which might provide hope to the jailed Joseph (Pharaoh Story). The Butler, having been released from jail just like Joseph predicted, informs Pharaoh of a man who is able to interpret dreams. Pharaoh orders Joseph's release from jail in order to reveal the meaning of his dream (Poor, Poor Pharaoh). Pharaoh explains his dream (Song of the King), and Joseph understands it to mean that Egypt will face 7 years of incredible harvest, followed by a great famine, and suggests to Pharaoh to place Joseph in charge of preparing Egypt for the famine (Pharaoh's Dream Explained). Pharaoh agrees that Joseph should help Egypt through the crisis, and names Joseph his "number 2," dressing him in royal clothes. Joseph's interpretation of Pharaoh's dream was correct, and Egypt was able to survive the famine, thanks to Joseph's rationing of the food from the great harvests in advance. The Narrator claims this is a perfect place to end the show, seeing as Joseph is now second to the Pharaoh and living grandly, but reminds the audience of Joseph's family, and wonders how they have been dealing with the famine (Stone the Crows).
Jacob and his remaining 11 sons lament their struggles, having been unprepared for the harsh famine, leaving them starving and poor. The brothers begin to regret what they did to Joseph all those years ago. They hear that Egypt has plenty of food, and decide to travel there for food (Those Canaan Days). When they arrive, none of the brothers recognize Joseph as the right-hand man to Pharaoh. Joseph decides to "prank" his brothers, and accuses them of being thieves, to which the greatly protest, and grovel at his feet. Partially satisfied, Joseph grants them food, which they pack in buckets. While they are distracted, Joseph hides a golden chalice in the youngest brother's (Benjamin) bucket. When the brothers turn to leave, Joseph again accuses them of thievery. (The Brothers Come to Egypt/Grovel, Grovel). The brothers protest again, reasserting that they are not thieves, but Joseph claims his golden cup is missing and forces the brothers to dump out their buckets, where he finds the cup he planted in Benjamin's bucket. Joseph feigns shock, and sentences him to life in prison. (Who's the Thief?). The brothers all plead with Joseph to take them instead, claiming Benjamin would not do such a thing as stealing, and that he must have been framed. They proclaim to Joseph how great of a man Benjamin is, and that he must be innocent, and beg Joseph to save him and take them in his place (Benjamin Calypso). Joseph knew that his brothers meant what they were saying, and realized they had changed from the jealous men he once knew. He decides to finally reveal himself to his brothers. Astounded, the brothers rejoice at finding Joseph again (Joseph All the Time).
Joseph sends for his father to rejoin them all in Egypt (Jacob in Egypt). Hugging his father, Joseph sings a reprise of "Any Dream Will Do," and the lyrics now make sense as an overview of the story. Jacob presents Joseph with his coat again (Finale: Any Dream Will Do/Give Me My Colored Coat).
Thoughts
Joseph is something that Grace and I actually like to watch often, and I am a big fan of the soundtrack, so I re-watched the show before writing this to try to present an impartial perspective of the musical. One notable difference from the musical to the movie is that the movie frames Joseph as a production that teachers are putting on for their students, and everyone becomes a part of the play. I think this provides a nice creative element to the movie that solidifies it as an extension of the original musical.
The different styles of music (thank you, Andrew Lloyd Webber!) are incredible and create a wide range of variety and emotions throughout the production. From country, to disco, to rock and roll, the story of Joseph and his coat are told with a creative and entertaining soundtrack. Below, I listed 2 songs as the "best," because I just couldn't pick!
Donny Osmond makes it clear why he had so much success as Joseph, in both the movie and his in-person performances. His skill purr-fectly reflects Joseph's personal journey, from his innocence while living with his family, to the loneliness in a jail cell, to the power of a king, and finally, to the undying love for family. Maria Friedman displayed equal talent as the Narrator. Her facial expressions are unique and exciting, and her vocal range is astounding. She displayed a purr-fect balance of telling the story while not taking attention away from the action.
One of my favorite moments was during "Jacob & Sons/Joseph's Coat." The scene is done brilliantly, with kids wearing all different shades and dancing around, the lights flashing in rainbows of light, and Joseph naming all of the colors on his beautiful coat. The number has so much energy, color, and action, and it is sure to enchant any viewer.
Even though this show is a depiction of a story from the Bible, I would truly recommend this show to anyone, regardless of belief or religion. It is not an enforcing of a specific religion, rather, a fantastic display of an iconic tale. I do believe this musical is extremely underrated, so I definitely suggest watching it if you haven't before! It is certainly appropriate for all ages. I remember Grace telling me she first watched it as a kid, and she's loved it ever since. Being a movie, you can easily access the content, which is great for those who don't live near Broadway (although this show isn't even being performed right now).
As always, the show could definitely use more cats. There were animal references, including cows, a goat, and bull-like creatures, but alas, no cats. You can always use more cats. If Broadway revives this show, I'll find a way to incorporate myself into the show.
Ratings
Find the rating scale here.
Soundtrack ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Acting ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lighting ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Set ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cat rating ⭐
Best song: Close Every Door and Song of the King
Best actor: Donny Osmond
Best set: Pharaoh's palace
Fun Facts!
- Joseph is a sung-through musical, meaning the musical is almost entirely made up of songs, with only a select number of spoken words.
- Grace says she was chosen to be in a professional performance of Joseph when she was a child, as a guest audience member. She loves to tell me she starred as "The Ripped Up Goat."
- The song "Joseph's Coat" reveals that Joseph's technicolor dreamcoat is made up of 29 different colors!
- The brother's names, in order of age (not in order as listed in "Jacob's Sons") are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.
- As stated in the musical, Jacob was also known as "Israel."
- There was a TV show called "Any Dream Will Do," where singers competed for the chance to play the role of Joseph in a 2007 West End revival of Joseph. The idea was for an unknown performer to star in the lead role, instead of a well-known actor. Viewers would vote for their favorite singers as the show progressed. Lee Mead was the declared winner.
Works Cited
Barnes & Noble. “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat [Original Canadian Cast Recording].” Barnes & Noble, www.barnesandnoble.com/w/joseph-and-the-amazing-technicolor-dreamcoat-a-l-webber/241735.
"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Aug. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_and_the_Amazing_Technicolor_Dreamcoat#Musical _numbers.
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