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Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Poetry & Opera

          Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
                1991 Broadway production poster
      Music    Andrew Lloyd Webber
     Lyrics    Tim Rice
   Based upon  Genesis
   Productions 1968 Children's oratorio production

               1972 Original theatrical production (Edinburgh)
               1976 Dublin production
               1982 Broadway production
               1991 West End production
               1993 Broadway revival
               1993 Canadian production
               1993 Los Angeles prodcution
               2007 West End revival

   Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was the second musical
   theatre show written by the team of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.
   (The first was " The Likes of Us," a musical written in 1965, which
   only received its first stage performance in 2005)

   Based on the " Coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Bible,
   this light-hearted show was first presented as a fifteen-minute pop
   cantata at the Colet Court school in London on March 1, 1968. The piece
   was commissioned by Alan Doggett, head of the school's Music
   department, for their annual spring concert. Doggett conducted the
   performance, whose orchestra and the singers consisted of pupils of
   Colet Court. The production did not have a huge impact when it
   premiered at the Colet School, but Lloyd Webber's father, William, felt
   it had the seeds of greatness. He encouraged and arranged for a second
   performance to take place at his church, Westminster Central Hall, with
   a revised and expanded format, including a rock group. The boys of
   Colet School and St. Paul's Junior School sang at the second
   performance, conducted by Doggett on 12 May 1968. This performance
   received 'amazing' reviews as a new pop oratorio in London's
   prestigious Sunday Times. Following the second performance, Novello
   agreed to publish the work and it was also to be recorded by Decca
   Records. The third performance took place at St Paul's Cathedral on 9
   November 1968. By then it had been expanded to 35 minutes and included
   several new songs.

   In 1970, Lloyd Webber and Rice used the popularity of their second rock
   opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, to promote Joseph, which was falsely
   advertised in America as a sequel to Superstar. The plan of riding on
   Jesus’ coattails for this ‘technicolor coat’ proved profitable: the
   Decca recording remained at the top of America’s charts for three
   months.

   In September 1972 Joseph was presented at the Edinburgh Festival,
   directed by Frank Dunlop and starring Gary Bond. A month later the
   production played at the Young Vic and the Roundhouse theatres. Success
   continued to transfer Joseph to bigger theatres and wider audiences. It
   was finally produced on Broadway on January 27, 1982 at the Royale
   Theatre where it remained for 749 performances.

   Credited to its family friendly storyline, universal themes, and catchy
   music Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is one of the most
   dependably profitable titles in musical theatre history, particularly
   when producers feature a headlining star. It is often successfully
   mounted by amateur groups, and according to the Really Useful Group, it
   has been mounted by over 20,000 local schools and amateur theatres.

   Following the success of the BBC's and Lloyd Webber's Interactive
   reality television talent show How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?
   which documented the search for a person to play Maria von Trapp in his
   2006 production of The Sound of Music, BBC One controller Peter Fincham
   has announced the production of a new series which will search for the
   main cast of a new production of "Joseph". The show is called Any Dream
   Will Do, after the song of the same name and features Lloyd Webber and
   Graham Norton during prime time Saturday evening television.

Plot

   The story is based on the Biblical story of Joseph, found in the book
   of Genesis. It is set in a frame in which a narrator is telling a story
   to children, encouraging them to dream. She then tells the story of
   Joseph, another dreamer ("Prologue," "Any Dream Will Do"). In the
   beginning of the main story Jacob and his 12 sons are introduced
   ("Jacob and Sons"). The brothers are jealous of Joseph for his
   beautiful coat, which is a symbol of their father's preference of him
   ("Joseph's Coat"). Moreover, Joseph has dreams which makes it very
   clear that he is destined to rule over them ("Joseph's Dreams"). To get
   rid of him and make the dreams not come true, they sell him as a slave
   to some passing Ishmaelites ("Poor, Poor Joseph"), who in turn bring
   him to Egypt.

   Back home, Reuben and the other brothers, accompanied by their wives,
   break the news to Jacob that Joseph has been killed; they show his
   tattered coat smeared with his blood (really goat's blood) to their
   father as proof that what they say is true ("One More Angel in
   Heaven"). In most productions, the brother Levi usually sings the solo;
   the song often segues into a celebratory hoedown after the bereft Jacob
   has tottered off the stage.

   In Egypt, Joseph is the slave of Potiphar, an Egyptian millionaire.
   Joseph rises through the ranks of slaves and servants until he is
   running Potiphar's house. However, Potiphar's wife advances on Joseph,
   who spurns her. Potiphar hears them and barges in, seeing the two
   together. He throws Joseph in jail as punishment ("Potiphar"). Joseph
   has hit rock bottom ("Close Every Door"), but soon gets a chance to
   bounce back when two more prisoners are added to his cell. Both are
   former servants of the Pharaoh, and both have had bizarre dreams
   recently. Joseph interprets that one, the Baker, will be executed,
   while the other, the Butler, will be returned to service ("Go, Go, Go
   Joseph").

   Though no intermission is specified by Webber and Rice, productions who
   wish to add one often do so at this time. The story then moves back to
   the frame, and the Narrator talks about the impending change in
   Joseph's fortunes ("A Pharaoh Story") because the Pharaoh is having
   dreams that no one can interpret. The now-freed Butler tells Pharaoh
   (played by an Elvis Presley impersonator) of Joseph and his ability to
   interpret dreams ("Poor, Poor Pharaoh"). Joseph is brought to Pharaoh
   and the king tells Joseph his dream involving seven fat cows, seven
   skinny cows, seven healthy ears of corn, and seven dead ears of corn
   ("Song of the King"). Joseph then interprets the dream as seven
   plentiful years being followed by seven years of famine ("Pharaoh's
   Dreams Explained"). Pharaoh, astonished by the interpretation, puts
   Joseph in charge of carrying out the preparations needed to endure the
   impending famine, and Joseph becomes the most powerful man in Egypt,
   second only to the Pharaoh ("Stone the Crows").

   Back home, though, the brothers are caught in the midst of the famine
   and express regret at selling Joseph and deceiving their father, led by
   the brother Simeon ("Those Canaan Days"). Hearing that Egypt has food,
   they decide to go and beg there for food and mercy, not realizing who
   it is they will be dealing with ("The Brothers Come to Egypt"). Joseph
   gives them food and sends them on their way, but plants a golden cup
   into the sack of his brother Benjamin ("Grovel, Grovel"). When the
   brothers try to leave, Joseph stops them, asking about the "stolen
   cup." Each brother empties his sack, and it is revealed that Benjamin
   has the cup. Joseph then accuses Benjamin of robbery ("Who's the
   Thief?"). The other brothers, though, beg for mercy for Benjamin,
   imploring that Joseph take them as a prisoner and set Benjamin free
   ("Benjamin Calypso").

   Joseph, seeing their unselfishness and penitence, reveals himself
   ("Joseph All the Time") and sends for his father Jacob. The two are
   reunited ("Jacob in Egypt") for a happy ending. The show ends with two
   reprises ("Finale: Any Dream Will Do/Give Me My Colored Coat"), and, in
   some productions, a rock/disco medley of most of the musical's major
   numbers ("Joseph Megamix").

Commentary

   The story is completely sung through and there is no spoken dialogue in
   the entire script. Without an intermission, the entire show runs about
   ninety minutes.

   Although based on the Bible, the story does not come off as religious
   in any way. God is never mentioned, the tone is almost always kept up
   as playful and light, and the show features a number of pastiches of
   musical style ("Those Canaan Days" is often sung with faux French
   accents; "There's One More Angel in Heaven" is a pseudo-
   country-Western, and Pharoah's Elvis routine is sometimes sung twice in
   a row due to its popularity).

Musical Numbers

   The songs in the show are:
     * Prologue
     * Any Dream Will Do
     * Jacob and Sons
     * Joseph's Coat
     * Joseph's Dreams
     * Poor, Poor Joseph
     * One More Angel in Heaven
     * Potiphar
     * Close Every Door
     * Go, Go, Go Joseph
     * A Pharaoh's Story
     * Poor, Poor Pharaoh
     * Song of the King (Seven Fat Cows)
     * Pharaoh's Dreams Explained
     * Stone the Crows
     * Those Canaan Days
     * The Brothers Come To Egypt
     * Grovel, Grovel
     * Who's the Thief?
     * Benjamin Calypso
     * Joseph All the Time
     * Jacob in Egypt
     * Finale: Any Dream Will Do / Give Me My Coloured Coat

   Notable in the composition of the music is the variety of styles used
   by Lloyd Webber, including parodies of French ballads ("Those Canaan
   Days"), Elvis-inspired rock and roll ("Song of the King"), western
   ("One More Angel In Heaven"), 1920's ragtime ("Potiphar"), Caribbean
   style ("Benjamin Calypso") and disco ("Go, Go, Go Joseph").

   On many occasions throughout the show, melodies are re-used with
   different words. For example, the songs "Poor, Poor Joseph" and "Poor,
   Poor Pharaoh" have just minor lyrical changes, whilst "Prologue" shares
   the same music as "A Pharoah's Story".

   "Prologue" is a late addition to the show, not included in any
   recordings produced before the 1981 Broadway production starring Laurie
   Beechman and Bill Hutton; the use of "Any Dream Will Do" at the start
   of the show (and the renaming of the closing version as per the above
   list) dates from the 1991 revival.

   Some productions, including the UK Touring Production circa 1983-1987
   (produced by Bill Kenwright), included an additional song "I Don't
   Think I'm Wanted Back At Home" was included. Sung by the title
   character, the brothers jokingly throw Joseph out of the family home,
   throwing a number of props at the lone Joseph who is seen in a
   spotlight - first a suitcase, then a cane and top hat, leaving our hero
   to tapdance his way to the end of the number.

   In the song "Joseph's Coat" the lyrics claim his coat to be " red, and
   yellow, and green, and brown, and scarlet, and black, and ochre, and
   peach, and ruby, and olive, and violet, and fawn, and lilac, and gold,
   and chocolate, and mauve, and cream, and crimson, and silver, and rose,
   and azure, and lemon, and russet, and grey, and purple, and white, and
   pink, and orange, and blue!"

2007 London Revival

   From July 17th, a new production of Joseph will open at the Adelphi
   Theatre, replacing Andrew Lloyd Webber's 2006 revival of Evita,
   starring Elena Roger, Matt Rawle, Phillip Quast and Abbie Osman, after
   a 12 month run. The role of Joseph will be cast through the BBC 1
   programme 'Any Dream Will Do', using the same format as the 2006 'How
   Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria' that chose Connie Fisher to star in
   Andrew Lloyd Webber's revival of The Sound of Music. Further casting
   has not yet been announced for Joseph. Go to the official website,
   http://www.josephthemusical.com , for more information.

Recordings

1969 - The Joseph Consortium

   This earliest recording (released on the Decca label, catalogue number
   SKL 4973) of Joseph followed the earliest performances at Colet Court
   and the Westminster Central Hall. As the show was still in its earliest
   stages of being written (and the now-recognised running order would not
   be finalised until the 1991 London revival), this recording is
   noticeably shorter than subsequent recordings and performances. Songs
   such as "Jacob and Sons" and "Song of the King" lack verses, while
   songs such as "One More Angel in Heaven", "A Pharaoh Story", and
   "Benjamin Calypso" are absent entirely. Indeed, the sleeve notes to
   this recording (by Derek Jewell, then Jazz and Pop Critic of the Sunday
   Times) provide an insight into the creation of the show, pointing out
   that "Potiphar" and "Song of the King" are new additions for this
   recording. Also of note is that side 1 of the record ends with "Close
   Every Door" (future vinyl and cassette releases would end side 1 with
   "Go, Go, Go Joseph", where act 1 of theatrical performances usually
   ends).

   The performance is credited to The Joseph Consortium, which is the same
   group of people who performed the show at Colet Court and Westminster
   Central Hall. David Daltrey (front man of British psychedlic band Tales
   of Justine) played the role of Joseph (although not specifically
   credited with any role apart from "vocals" on the sleeve), and also
   played lead guitar. Support came from a band going by the name of The
   Mixed Bag (consisting of Terry Saunders - vocals and rhythm guitar;
   Malcolm Parry - vocals and bass guitar; John Cook - vocals and organ;
   and Bryan Watson - vocals and drums), with an unnamed orchestra
   conducted by Alan Doggett, and The Colet Court Choir. William Lloyd
   Webber (Andrew's father) played Hammond Organ, while Tim Rice played
   the part of Pharaoh.

1976 Dublin

   A version of this show was produced in Ireland in 1976 (Noel Pearson
   was producer, Alan Simpson was director), with a cast recording LP
   resulting. Joseph was played by Tony Kenny, and Noel Purcell played
   Jacob.

1991 London

   This musical was revived in London by Steven Pimlott, and a full cast
   soundtrack recording was released, entitled “Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new
   production of…" This is the first recording to be released with the
   full track listing as described above. This release also includes the
   "Joseph Megamix", a nine-minute medley of themes arranged with a heavy
   dance beat.

   At the start of this run, Joseph was played by the then-popular music
   singer and pin-up Jason Donovan, who features on this release. His
   recording of Any Dream Will Do reached number one in the UK singles
   charts in 1991. Later in the run, Donovan was replaced by TV presenter
   Phillip Schofield, who released a single of Close Every Door.

   The orchestral credits, cover art, and running time of this release is
   almost exactly the same as the subsequent releases starring Donny
   Osmond and Michael Damian. The various casts recorded their vocals over
   the same prerecorded backing tracks - the difference between these
   recordings being the singers and the narrator.

1992 Canada

   The white cover is the 1992 Canadian revival recording with Donny
   Osmond in the title role, Joseph, and Janet Metz as the narrator.
   Osmond was also chosen for the 1999 direct-to-video production.

1993 Los Angeles

   The black cover is the 1993 Los Angeles revival recording staring
   Michael Damian as Joseph.

Video/DVD

   It has also been made into video and DVD in 1999, starring Donny Osmond
   as Joseph, Maria Friedman as the narrator, Joan Collins as Potiphar's
   Wife, and Richard Attenborough as Jacob.

2005 Touring Cast

   Patrick Cassidy and Amy Adams as Joseph and the Narrator from the
   2005-2006 national tour, presented by Troika Entertainment.

In popular culture

     * In The Simpsons episode " We're on the Road to D'ohwhere" (Episode
       HABF04) the devoutly Christian Ned Flanders is heard singing the
       ending of "Coat of Many Colors" when he finds his record of "Joseph
       and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" in Marge's yard sale.
     * In the Seinfeld episode " The Wig Master," Kramer is seen wearing
       this coat, which he borrowed from the Broadway production's wig
       master.
     * The Reduced Shakespeare Company has been known to mock the show
       during their performances, on one occasion suggesting that
       murdering an audience as they watched a performance of Dreamcoat
       would be an act of mercy killing.

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