On November 26th, 2005 we went to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for the second time in my life. We had wanted to see it again for the last few years, but the only times it came to Detroit were times where we were too busy to go. So when the Joseph Tour came to Chicago, we planned a whole 3 day weekend around it.
The Story
Some of the people I’ve seen this with were confused about the action on stage, so I have a pretty quick summary of the play here. It shouldn’t ruin the play for you since it’s not like a movie, the plot is only part of the reason you see a play. If you’d rather not know, skip to the next bold point. Joseph’s story comes out of the Bible but I’m not sure if the play took any liberties on the original story.
Let’s cut this as short as possible. Jacob has 12 sons, Joseph is his favorite. He spoils Joseph and turns to him for advice. One day he buys his son a Coat of Many Colors and his brothers are really jealous. Joseph is also a dreamer. He tells his brothers of his dreams that make it sound like he will be above them all someday. They are even more jealous so they plan to kill him.
When taking him out to kill him, they come upon some men and decide to sell Joseph as a slave. They tell their father Joseph died fighting a goat. In the brother’s world, they are overjoyed. In Joseph’s world, he is sold to Potiphar, a rich man. Both Potiphar and his wife end up liking Joseph, but Mrs. Potiphar ends up liking him a little too much. Potiphar gets jealous and puts him in jail.
In jail, Joseph is very depressed. Even the guards try to cheer him up. Two other men, a baker and a butler, get thrown in jail and Joseph interprets their dreams for them. One gets a happy ending, the other..not so happy. Now we hear of the Pharaoh. He has crazy dreams and he is baffled over what they mean. The butler tells the Pharaoh that he knows a man in jail (ie Joseph) that can interpret. Pharaoh gets Joseph, tells his dreams and Joseph interprets that they need to start saving up food because in 7 years they will be out. Pharaoh is so impressed by his predictions that he makes Joseph his #2.
Back in Canaan the brothers are starving because they didn’t save any food. They decide to go to Egypt and beg for food. They don’t recognize Joseph so he gives them a hard time before giving them food. Once they are eating, he shoves a cup into his brother’s bag as a test. As they try and leave he yells at them that someone stole his cup and searches the bags to find it. The other brothers defend their brother and Joseph sees by this that they have changed. He lets them know who he is, and they get his father to come to Egypt. Everyone lives Happily Ever After – the End.
If you have any question, just ask. I tried to summarize it without taking all day.
The Story in updated Musical Format (ie the Play)
On stage, the story is told by a Narrator. She sings minor lines here or there to tell you what is going on. This play is 99.99% musical. The only spoken words are 1 word here and 2 words there, but nothing major. The story is brought to life by upbeat and fun songs.
However the story is also modernized for your viewing pleasure. Although the story goes as explained above, the props/clothes/types of music are made more modern. For example, when the brothers are rejoicing they sing the song and dance as if they were cowboy’s down south. When they are later talking about missing food, they sing the song in a French tone. I love the various accents and types of music they use. It’s a big mixture. Of course the best part is the Pharaoh – he sings as… “The King” if you catch my drift. Finally, one of my favorite songs was the song about Benjamin sung in a Jamaican tone.
The actors get fully into the genre of the current song no matter what music type it is! They are very versatile. The humor doesn’t just come in from the music and dance, it also comes in through the lyrics. Here are some examples:
Narrator: Off to Egypt where Joseph was not keen to go
It wouldn’t be a picnic he could tell
Joseph: And I don’t speak Egyptian very well
Joseph:
Sad to say your dream is not
The kind of dream I’d like to get
Pharaoh has it in for you,
Your execution date is set
Don’t rely on all I said I saw
It’s just that I have not been wrong before (it’s this line that makes it funny)
One of the Brothers:
Do you remember those wonderful parties?
The splendour of Canaan’s cuisine
Our extravagant, elegant soirees
The gayest the Bible has seen
It’s funny but since we lost Joseph
We’ve gone to the other extreme
No-one comes to dinner now
We only eat them anyhow
I even find I’m missing Joseph’s dreams
Both times we went to see the show, the play ended with an awesome 8 minute mega-mix of all the songs which is really fun. Make sure you don’t leave before this!
In Comparison to the First Time
Things have changed slightly since I first saw this play in the mid-90s. It has always been a modern play that included modern elements, so this play included things more relevant to 2000 then to the mid-90s. For example, when Joseph’s brothers want to talk to their dad, they call him on their Cell Phones. And when Potiphar is doing his accounting, he’s using a laptop. I like that they keep the show updated with the current popular items because it’s just funnier this way. Hearing Jacob’s “cell phone” ring with that all familiar ring tone was hilarious.
The displays and dancing have also changed slightly. When I saw the show originally the dancers acted more like gymnastics/dancers and did stunts, and just were flying all around stage. In this production they were acting/dressed more like cheerleaders. I think I preferred the first show a little better in this aspect, but either way it was still fun.
Joseph’s coat was cool in both shows, but I couldn’t help but think that the newer version looked like a woman’s dress a little bit. In the first show it looked way more manly! Finally, of course there were different actors than when I saw it in the mid-90s. There were some good and bad about the new actors, but you can see that below.
The Stars
Patrick Cassidy played Joseph in the recent version. In the first show I saw, Sam Harris played Joseph and he was excellent. Patrick Cassidy was very good BUT, we felt he was a little overly cheesy and overacting at parts. He also didn’t have quite as strong of a voice as Sam Harris. When you buy the soundtrack you will get Donnie Osmond who’s voice is also excellent. I was slightly disappointed in Patrick’s singing when it got to some of his solos where his voice either A) wasn’t strong enough or b) was overly cheesy. He’s good – but in comparison he’s not the best.
Amy Adams played the narrator. She was one of the finalist on American Idol 3 and I think that it’s good she didn’t win the Idol Title because she’s great on Broadway. When she first opened her mouth she sounded almost exactly like the narrator on my cd of this play and I thought that was great. She did a really good job, and since she’s a little younger than the previous narrator, she had some more energy.
The other characters were no one special but they all did very well. The Pharaoh was really good at being “The King”. Really the only one that I had some problems with was Joseph.
The Theater
We saw this at the Auditorium Theater on Michigan Ave in Chicago, IL. As a quick note: this theater is really pretty and decorated in mostly gold tones. If you can get seats either on the main floor or the first balcony, you’d be good to go. WAY above us was another balcony that looked SO high that I would never want to even walk up there, let alone watch a play from there.
I had a problem with the sound though. In MI theaters, the sound is usually flawless and I never hear a microphone. In this show we did hear microphone feedback quite a bit and the speakers just weren’t as “surround sound” as I am used to. I hope that if they read this they figure out what they are doing wrong!
For Who
Children and Adults of all ages should enjoy this play BUT there are some exceptions:
-If you’re kids are too young, don’t pay 70$ for a play ticket! Wait til they are in about 2nd or 3rd grade before you make the investment.
-2nd and 3rd kids will enjoy it because it is very upbeat and colorful – but I don’t know if they will understand the story. If you tell them the story ahead of time it might help. So it’s up to you if you want to invest the money in them or wait until they hit 5th or 6th grade to understand. (I saw it first in about 8th grade when I loved it)
-Adults who are close-minded may not like it. My grandpa wasn’t the biggest fan of the modern take on the story. So if you think it’s sacrilegious to throw a few jokes into a bible story, or turn the pharoah into Elvis – then don’t see this.
Everyone else should love it!
Conclusion
This is the kind of play you can see over and over because of the fact that it will keep updating with modern trends. Unlike some classic plays, Joseph will always have a few new surprises whether it be in the props, costumes or types of music – so check it out now! Then see it again in 5-10 years. Enjoy!
To find out if the show is coming to your area, visit the following link: http://www.reallyuseful.com/rug/shows/joseph/
