It's a Dream Come True

When I was very little, we had the record for Joseph, and I recall listening to it and enjoying it. But somehow or another it got misplaced, and for years the only thing I could remember about the show was "It was red and yellow and green and brown and blue."

But three years ago, I was with my cousin listening to an Andrew Lloyd Weber tape when Any Dream Will Do came on. It sounded awfully familiar, and my heart skipped a beat as I heard it. Then, a couple of songs later, Close Every Door began to play, and it just about blew me away. A wave of wistful nostalgia washed over me as I fell in love with this song I had last heard when I was probably no more than three years old. The two songs which had been dimly lurking in the shadows of my subconscious mind emerged now, and I was determined to bring them into full light. Imagine my delight when, a few days later, I was flipping through channels and found an ice skater doing a routine to Close Every Door!

I became desperate to find the soundtrack, and I finally met with success in Media Play. Ecstatic, I took home my new tape and played it over and over again. Within the week I knew it by heart, and my aunt bought me the sheet music. Then, just this year, I was thrilled to discover that the play I loved so much but had never seen was going to be performed by youth at our local theater. I was grinning from ear to ear when I left the Playhouse, finally having seen Joseph as well as hearing it. Sure, these were not professional actors, but the show debuted as an elementary school program, after all.

Well, when I heard last week that Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with Donny Osmond was going to be on PBS last night, I was on cloud nine. I absolutely could not wait to see it. And I was not disappointed.

Going back to its roots as an elementary school production, it begins with a crowd of schoolchildren in uniforms streaming into the school auditorium. Excited to be out of class, they chatter noisily until a severe look from their bespectacled teacher renders them silent. Stiff-necked and formal, the other teachers, mostly men, file in and sit down. An uncomfortable silence ensues as the audience waits for their special guest. As she arrives, flying through the auditorium and dropping her purse, the children erupt into laughter. Regaining her composure, she steps up to the podium on the stage and begins the tale...

As the narrator begins, she is singing directly to the children, and she even leaves the stage to wander among the audience. She finishes her introduction of "the story of a boy whose dreams came true" and Donny Osmond, white-robed as Joseph, emerges in a dramatic burst of fog. Making his way to the stage, he mingles with the children while singing a bright version of Any Dream Will Do. When the song is finished, the red curtain is opened to reveal the narrator in Canaan, where the story really begins.

Much of the charm of this particular version of the show lies in the fact that, although it is a movie, it is presented as a play. The scenery makes no attempt at being realistic; it is as fanciful as possible. Fake sheep on a turnstile, a giant Pharaoh's head whose face lifts up to reveal the pharaoh himself, and an oddly surrealistic jail cell are only a few examples of the overall stagey quality of the show. A grotesquely hilarious scene involves the brothers dismembering a very fake goat, yanking off his legs which have bloody stumps on the end. And when Joseph is trying to get out of the well, watch for his goofy encounter with a cobra puppet that he is obviously controlling himself.

The costumes are phenomenal, and Joseph's coat truly is amazing. Some of the women in Potiphar's home and Pharaoh's palace are clad in rather risque regalia, but it is tasteful enough that I wouldn't worry about young eyes being corrupted by it.

And the songs...what can one possibly say about them? Ranging in style from Western to French to Calypso to 20s gramophone, each song is pure gold. The children lend their harmonies to many of the songs, most notably Any Dream Will Do and Close Every Door. At times rushing onstage and instantaneously changing clothes, other times singing from the audience, their sweet, pure voices sound like a chorus of angels as they are swept into participation in the story.

Ramses, the pharaoh who looks and acts suspiciously like an American King of the 50s, delights the audience as he demonstrates "how we rock and roll in Egypt". Maria Friedman is versatile in her role as narrator, simultaneously observer and participant in the tale. The brothers provide one laugh after another as they don Southern, French, and Caribbean accents. And grandfatherly Richard Attenborough's low-key performance as Jacob, the father of Joseph and, eventually, the entire Israeli nation, radiates with warmth and tenderness.

Dripping with sincerity that even Linus van Pelt would be hard-pressed to match, Donny is enchanting as the starry-eyed youth who rises to greatness despite his brothers' nearly fatal jealousy. His expressions of disgust, confusion, and fear at various points in the show are priceless, and the sheer panic evident in his face as he is repeatedly fallen upon by throngs of ruthless women will have you in gales of laughter. His ingratiating smile lights up the screen time and time again, and the pain and concern in his eyes in Potiphar's dungeon and upon his reunion with his family, particularly his father, are nothing short of heart-wrenching.

After years of fervently wishing Joseph would come to video, my prayers have finally been answered more fabulously than I dared hope. The play-within-a-play idea is unique and truly made me feel like a part of the production. Excellent acting, delightful scenery, fabulous songs, and lots of slapstick bring this beloved Bible story to life in a way that is reminiscent of an elementary school production. The movie retains that charm, though it does include a few cinematic tricks that are expertly interspersed throughout the film. We get to see Joseph flung unceremoniously into a pit not once but twice, and the second time his descent appears endless, like Alice down the rabbit's hole.

A much more light-hearted production than Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph can get away with the abundant anachronisms. Indeed, they are deeply ingrained into the play; such numbers as Pharaoh's Dream, One More Angel in Heaven, and Go Go Go Joseph demand it. And because it is done as a theatrical production, somewhat similar to Peter Pan and Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, it is encapsulated in its own whimsical world where anything goes. Of contrast to this is the film version of Jesus Christ Superstar, which is filmed in a vast expanse of desert which simply doesn't fit in with the wacky costumes and oddly placed props.

The grand finale of Any Dream Will Do tops off the movie, soft and gentle in the beginning as Joseph receives from his father the coat which he lost so many years ago. The children chime in with an echo as Joseph grows louder, and he is the joined in exquisite harmony by the narrator. Finally, the entire cast belts out the final verse, and as Joseph demands "Give me my colored coat, my amazing colored coat" the cluster around him disperses, forming a beautiful multi-colored Star of David with Joseph in the center.

Even the credits are entertaining, as we get to see which teacher corresponds to which character. Of some disappointment to me is the way Joan Collins (Mrs. Potiphar/the elementary school spinster) is given co-star billing in everything I have read when she played such a minor role. I think Maria Friedman got slighted, not receiving proper acknowledgment for her excellent work in this film. However, that is a marketing concern and did not detract from my enjoyment of the film.

This movie is an absolute delight for all ages. The timeless tale of ambition and loyalty will never grow old, especially when preserved so delightfully as it is on this video. Who knew that nine chapters of Genesis could be this much fun?