Synopsis
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is based on the story "the coat of many colours" as is told in the Book of Genesis in the Bible. Throughout the show the narrator is there to tell the story. In the prologue she introduces the concept whilst surrounded by a choir of children as if she is telling them a bedside story. Set in Biblical times, Joseph is the story of Jacob and his 12 sons, Joseph being his favourite. Joseph's brothers are jealous when he gets given a wonderful coat of many colours and are intimidated by his dreams which clearly intimate that he is going to rule over them. They hatch a plan to kill Joseph but change their mind and instead sell him to some passing Ishmaelites into a life of slavery. Joseph is taken to egypt whilst his brothers kill a goat and spread its blood all over the wonderful coat so that they can show their father that Joseph is dead. They pretend to be sad but when Jacob leaves the brothers and their wives dance happily and celebrate the fact that Joseph is gone.
In Egypt, Joseph has been bought by a millionaire named Potiphar and it is soon clear that Joseph has natural talents as he is given the honour of running the household. Unfortunately for his career prospects it seems that Mrs Potiphar has the hots for Joseph and although he spurns her advances they are caught in a comprimising position by her husband and Joseph is thrown in jail. Joseph's knack for interpretting dreams comes in handy when he meets a butler and a baker who have been locked up on the orders of the Pharaoh and he is able to give the butler good news that he will soon be free. The news is not so good for the baker who it seems will be executed but everyone in the prison has a bit of a dance anyway!
The butler is indeed set free and when the Pharaoh is having troubled dreams he remembers Joseph and his talents. Joseph interprets the dream without any difficulty and predicts that there will be seven years of bumper crops followed by seven years of famine. He recommends that they store up as much crop as possible to get through the famine and the Pharaoh promotes him and puts him in charge of these preparations. Life is good for Joseph as he has gold, riches and is adored by everyone who meets him.
Unfortunately for the brothers and Jacob things are not going so well. They have been hit by the famine and are starving, mentioning that selling Joseph was the turning point for their misfortune. They have heard that in Egypt there is food going spare so decide to go on a mission to get something to eat. They turn up to beg for food and do not recognise Joseph at all, though obviously he knows who they are straight away. He gives them food but sneaks a golden cup Benjamin's bag and then accuses him of theft when it is discovered. The rest of the brothers beg for mercy and claim that Benjamin is honest (as coconuts!) and couldn't have possibly stolen the cup. Joseph can see that the brothers have changed and reveals his true identity to them so that it can all end happily ever after.
In Egypt, Joseph has been bought by a millionaire named Potiphar and it is soon clear that Joseph has natural talents as he is given the honour of running the household. Unfortunately for his career prospects it seems that Mrs Potiphar has the hots for Joseph and although he spurns her advances they are caught in a comprimising position by her husband and Joseph is thrown in jail. Joseph's knack for interpretting dreams comes in handy when he meets a butler and a baker who have been locked up on the orders of the Pharaoh and he is able to give the butler good news that he will soon be free. The news is not so good for the baker who it seems will be executed but everyone in the prison has a bit of a dance anyway!
The butler is indeed set free and when the Pharaoh is having troubled dreams he remembers Joseph and his talents. Joseph interprets the dream without any difficulty and predicts that there will be seven years of bumper crops followed by seven years of famine. He recommends that they store up as much crop as possible to get through the famine and the Pharaoh promotes him and puts him in charge of these preparations. Life is good for Joseph as he has gold, riches and is adored by everyone who meets him.
Unfortunately for the brothers and Jacob things are not going so well. They have been hit by the famine and are starving, mentioning that selling Joseph was the turning point for their misfortune. They have heard that in Egypt there is food going spare so decide to go on a mission to get something to eat. They turn up to beg for food and do not recognise Joseph at all, though obviously he knows who they are straight away. He gives them food but sneaks a golden cup Benjamin's bag and then accuses him of theft when it is discovered. The rest of the brothers beg for mercy and claim that Benjamin is honest (as coconuts!) and couldn't have possibly stolen the cup. Joseph can see that the brothers have changed and reveals his true identity to them so that it can all end happily ever after.
Characters
- Joseph - The favourite son and hero of our story
- Narrator - A woman who is there to tell the story. She is not from biblical times and is there as a guide for the audience
- The Brothers - There are 11 other brothers, all of whom have wives in the story. There names are
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin. - Jacob - An old man with a big family. He doesn't feel so old in the end!
- Potiphar - The eqyptian millionaire who cannot control his wife.
- Mrs Potiphar - Trouble with a capital T!
- The Pharaoh - An Elvis like figure who sings like he is "the king". The Pharaoh rewards Joseph for helping him with his troubled dreams.
- The coat - Yes I know this isn't a character but it's such an important prop it's worth mentioning. If you know the songs from this show you will know that is was 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 puple and white and pink and orange and BLUE!
Popular Songs
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Creators
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lord Lloyd Webber (1948 - present) is a British Composer who has composed 13 musicals, two film scores and many other songs. He was knighted by the queen in 1992 and then made a Lord in 1997 for his services to Music. He has won countless awards including Tonys, Grammys, Ivor Novello, Olivier, Golden Globes and Academy Awards. Many of the songs he has written have been hits outside their musicals. His noted successes include Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, Evita, Starlight Express, Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down the Wind and more. Webber is still writing musicals although he did take a brief break to act as a judge on some BBC talent shows designed to find rising stars for specific shows including the Sound of Music, Joseph, Oliver!, The Wizard of Oz and Jesus Christ Superstar.
Lord Lloyd Webber (1948 - present) is a British Composer who has composed 13 musicals, two film scores and many other songs. He was knighted by the queen in 1992 and then made a Lord in 1997 for his services to Music. He has won countless awards including Tonys, Grammys, Ivor Novello, Olivier, Golden Globes and Academy Awards. Many of the songs he has written have been hits outside their musicals. His noted successes include Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, Evita, Starlight Express, Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down the Wind and more. Webber is still writing musicals although he did take a brief break to act as a judge on some BBC talent shows designed to find rising stars for specific shows including the Sound of Music, Joseph, Oliver!, The Wizard of Oz and Jesus Christ Superstar.
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Sir Tim Rice (1944-present) is a British author and lyricist who is best known for his collaborations with Webber but has enjoyed a long a varied career in musical theatre, film, television, writing for Elton John and Elvis Presley and as a producer. He has worked for the Walt Disney Company creating productions such as Aladdin and The Lion King. He was co-founder of the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles and has been a guest panellist for many years of radio game shows such as Just a Minute. He was knighted by the Queen in 1994 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008. He reunited with Webber in 2011 to write songs for the newest production of The Wizard of Oz but has since said that this partnership has run its course and does not anticipate working together in the future.
Sir Tim Rice (1944-present) is a British author and lyricist who is best known for his collaborations with Webber but has enjoyed a long a varied career in musical theatre, film, television, writing for Elton John and Elvis Presley and as a producer. He has worked for the Walt Disney Company creating productions such as Aladdin and The Lion King. He was co-founder of the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles and has been a guest panellist for many years of radio game shows such as Just a Minute. He was knighted by the Queen in 1994 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008. He reunited with Webber in 2011 to write songs for the newest production of The Wizard of Oz but has since said that this partnership has run its course and does not anticipate working together in the future.
Productions
On Stage
Joseph first existed as a 15 minute composition sung by the choir of Colet Court School in London in 1968. The songs were recorded as a concept album in 1969 with stage productions beginning in 1970. The concept was expanded further for 1971 and 1972 recordings but was still undergoing changes when it first appeareed on the West End in 1973. The full format was finished and presented in 1974 although the prologue was only added when the show got its Broadway debut some years later. |
Joseph transferred to Broadway in January 1982 after being staged in New York during 1976 and 77 and then in an Off-Broadway production in 1981. The production in the Royale Theatre enjoyed 749 performances and received several Tony award Nominations. David Cassidy took over the role of Joseph in March 1983 and performed in the later touring cast.
The show was restaged in 1991 at the London Palladium with Jason Donovan in the lead role. The album of this production was number one in the UK album charts for two weeks in September 1991. When Donovan left his role was taken up by Phillip Scholfield. It had numerous other revivals during the 21st Century staring Stephen Gately (late of Boyzone), Lee Mead and Gareth Gates in the title role. |
On Film
A version of the show was released on video in November 1999. Donny Osmond stared in the title role with Maria Friedman playing the part of the narrator. Other famous names who took up roles in the film are Christopher Biggins, Joan Collins and Richard Attenborough.
The film was very colourful and aimed to show the vibrance of the stage show whilst not losing the feel of a theatre. In fact, all the sets and costume designs were based on the Los Angeles version. Clips from the show can been seen through the offical website linked below and are well worth a watch. |
Interesting facts
- Despite both creators being British they chose to name their show "Technicolor" rather than "Technicolour" using the American spelling.
- The role of the narrator was originally played by a man but was later cast as a female role.
- Joseph was the first of Rice and Webber's musicals to be performed but not the first project they worked on together. They had written "The Likes of Us" in 1965 but it was not performed publicly until 2005.
- In a 1979 audio recording of Joseph, Tim Rice performed as the narrator.
- The BBC competition named "Any Dream Will Do" led to Lee Mead being cast as Joseph, a total unknown before the show! Mead was meant to be part of a six month run in the West End but tickets sold out so quickly the contract was extended to a year and then again for a further six months.