Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Continues to Wow Audiences
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was just the second show written by the famous Andrew Lloyd Webber. The first show was not performed until recent years, so many think of Joseph as the first play written by the legendary composer. It was originally written for Colet Court, the prep school for St. Paul’s School, and was expanded and then performed at Westminster Central Hall in the 1960s. The short rock opera was received well by those who saw it, but in its early days it was just 35 minutes long.
When Lloyd Webber’s second biblically based rock opera Jesus Christ! Superstar! was received with tremendous popularity in 1970, the writer decided to expand Joseph and promote it heavily. Soon it found its niche, as American audiences were wowed by the fun, music, and sets of the show. Since it was first released worldwide, Joseph has become one of the most widely performed musicals of all time.
The show is very short. It is just at two hours, and the entire show is sung. There is no dialogue in the show at all, and this is part of what adds to its appeal as a rock opera. The music is upbeat and modern, and the sets are fun and bright.
Joseph is intended to be a comical satire about the biblical story. There is a children’s choir that opens the show and then sits in the wings as the narrator encourages them to continue dreaming while she tells the story of another dreamer, Joseph.
One of the funniest aspects of Joseph is the character of the Pharaoh, who would make any Elvis impersonator proud. Pharaoh dresses as the King, literally, complete with white jumpsuit and rhinestones, with a slightly Egyptian twist.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat stays fairly true to the biblical story. Joseph dreams that he will someday be ruling over his brothers. As the favorite son of his father, he is gifted with the amazing coat of many colors. Out of jealousy, the brothers sell him into slavery, and he ends up in the house of an Egyptian ruler named Potiphar.
Potiphar’s wife takes a liking to Joseph, which he spurns, but her advances eventually land him in jail. In jail he meets up with some of Pharaoh’s officials, who are also dreamers, and he interprets their dreams for him. This eventually leads to his release and the request to interpret the dream of Pharaoh. He is put in a high position of leadership, eventually reunited with his brothers, and his original dream eventually comes to fruition.
While the story remains true to the biblical narrative, God is never mentioned. It is not intended to be a show that points people towards a religious experience. Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the musical simply to entertain, and entertain it does. The show has been going strong for over forty years, and it appears that there will not be an end to the popularity of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat anytime in the near future.
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Joseph is a fantastic show but you forgot to mention that it was also written by the AMAZING Tim Rice