Thursday, December 06, 2018
The History Of Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Theatre Nerds: “I closed my eyes, drew back the curtain to see for certain what I thought I knew. Far far away someone was weeping, but the world was sleeping, Any Dream Will Do”. On November 30th, 2018 it was announced to the public that Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat would be returning to the West End in 2019 next summer.
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When the local theater did Joseph, we were all apprehensive. While the show itself is good, the material and production has become quite outdated. I've noticed a decline in the staging of Joseph lately, because people simply don't find it enjoyable to stage a show like this anymore. When my theater did it, I was surprised by the way they modernized it for the current era. Our director chose to modernize the show and took inspiration from Michael Jackson. This was probably the first time that I saw how theater could be changed while still staying true to the source material, as Joseph ascended to being the literal king while becoming more and more like Michael Jackson. All qualms with the source context and Michael Jackson aside, this was probably my favorite show that this theater ever produced, and it really revolutionized the way Joseph could be seen. The theater won awards for choreography, and sold out almost every night, which is difficult for a small regional dinner theater to do. For that reason, Joseph will always have a special place in my heart, as long as it's done in an interesting way.
Ok after reading and openly ranting to the open room in which I sit, I think I have finally calmed down enough to start writing all my thoughts on this indefinite article. I say that because it has chosen to present itself as though it were going to be a fully comprehensive look at Joesph and the technicolor dream coat, but it is severely lacking. First off it chose to completely ignore Andrew Lloyd Webbers part in the refining and adaptation of the score to its full glory that we now know as the hit musical. Secondly, the article claims that Jesus Christ Superstar was a great hit. However, in reality, it wasn't at the time that Joesph took off, but much later in1977 with the revival. In later interviews with Andrew Lloyd Webber stated that the success of Jesus Christ superstar was due to the more substantial interest that Joesph brought to the Rock-Opera style of musical. I was also surprised that there was no mention of the massive pushback that both shows got when they first tried to open and then again when they went out on tour.
Well it was a history all right, a history written by a highschool student. I could have really gotten all of this information off of wikipedia as no doubt he/she/they did. I was really looking for a deep history delving into Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s choices, why they chose this style of music for this scene, or even what the hell is a cantata? I love Joseph it was the first musical album I ever checked out from the library as it was the first one I ever saw because they showed us the direct to video version in fifth grade Catholic school, Potiphar played all the way through before the teachers were able to fast forward past glitter nipples. So in one sense this is the isthmus of the reason why I love musical theatre. We played this so much in the car ride home from school, this Once Upon a Mattress, and Mary Poppins. It will always have a special place in my heart.
I have never done this show but our children's community theater did it. It was very interesting to see a bunch of kids put on this show and I'm talking like fifth graders. I don't know a lot about this show so I enjoyed reading the history of it and learning about where the show started. This article was also very fun to read because there were many photos of the coat over the years. I think it is particularly interesting how people decide to create their coat. For the produciton at the Children's theater it was simple rainbow striped. I like the ones where there is more decoration because it feels like it fits the show better. I think that it would be good for me to see a professional version of this show because I honestly did not understand a lot of what the children said and that show was trimmed for them.
For my short-lived time of doing musical theater dance, the two shows I performed in were Peter Pan and Joseph. This article really allowed me to reminisce on a show near and dear to my heart. Seeing the show’s timeline throughout the years is very interesting, as the costumes (especially the coat), change pretty often from production to production. I don’t know how an audience now would react if Joseph was performed now, but I know tons of people who still love the show. I think the article was just a weird overview of the “history” of the show. Like Jeremy and Sebastian said, I was expecting more in-depth details on Webber’s process, and the reaction to the religion-based show opening during its time. While it is kind of informative and lets you think back to the first time you heard or watched the show, it’s more of an overview rather than the actual history of the show.
I was in Joseph and the Technicolor dream coat way back when I was in 7th grade and it was one of the most fun experiences I have had in theatre. The show itself is so much fun and the music is great. Andrew Lyodd Webber was one the writing team for this show and I think this show reflects how great of composer he is and how he can write music for shows in different genres. One new thing I learned from this article is that the show was developed differently than most shows were back in the day. ALW and Tim Rice slowly over the years wrote this show and had it playing in different venues in the US and the UK before heading into a major production. This show also played on Broadway twice in the 90’s which is rare for a show to do. Im excited this show is getting revived and I wonder if it does well in London if it will come to NY.
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