Way, way back, many centuries ago, I saw my first production of Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat - well that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I wanted to get a line from the musical in. I had forgotten almost everything about it, but it was like riding a bike - all the songs come back to you in an instant.
During one my school productions my class performed a shortened version of Joseph, and it brought back so many amazing memories. Is it my favourite musical ever? No. But it certainly put a smile on my face.
Anyone who’s not familiar with the plot, Joseph is based on the ‘coat of many colours’ from the Book of Genesis. Joseph is the favourite child of his father; Jacob. His brothers aren’t happy with that and sell him off as a slave. Joseph ends up thrown in jail in Egypt and meets a variety of characters. He correctly predicts a famine and ensures Egypt is prepared, whereas his brothers are starving in Israel. They travel to Egypt to beg for food from Joseph. He gives them food and they all live happily ever after.
Initially I was quite skeptical on seeing that Donny Osmond would be taking on the title role. However, he certainly looked the part (clearly he trained hard physically for the role), and had the vocal capacity to match. Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals are notorious among actors and singers for being sung-through. However, Osmond more than rose to the occasion.
Directed by David Mallet, he certainly manages to capture the bizareness and flamboyance of the musical. Given that it was originally released in 1999, it would be cruel to compare the production standard to now, but there are parts that haven’t stood the test of time. In particular the opening scene in the deserts of Israel. The backdrop looks cheap and doesn’t really capture the deserts.
Maria Friedman takes on the role of the Narrator. She may even have more to sing than Osmond, but she certainly does a fantastic job. She was vital to every scene, but sometimes you forgot she was there - not in a bad way, but a narrator needs to blend in and not stand out too much.
Joseph’s 11 brothers also added a lot of comedy to the production. The country vibe of ‘One More Angel’ was hilarious. Their choreography and general charisma made them a joy to watch from beginning to end.
One of the biggest things that sticks in anyone’s mind after watching a performance of Joseph, is the random appearance of Elvis, or in this case the Pharaoh. ‘Song Of The King’ with all the bop-bop backing vocals was a treat.
No review of Joseph would be complete without a mention of ‘Any Dream Will Do’. Honestly I was slightly underwhelmed. Everything seems to happen so quickly in Act II, that I wasn’t expecting it to end so quickly and albeit slightly abruptly. However, all in all Joseph is definitely worth a watch.
Reviewer - Brian Madden
on - 15/7/20
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