Released as a concept album in 1969, the stage version of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has become one of the world’s most beloved family musicals. The show features songs that have gone on to become pop and musical theatre classics, including Any Dream Will Do, Close Every Door to Me, Jacob and Sons, There’s One More Angel In Heaven and Go Go Go Joseph.

Told entirely through song with the help of The Narrator, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat follows the story of Jacob’s favourite son Joseph and his eleven brothers.  After being sold into slavery by the brothers, he ingratiates himself with Egyptian noble Potiphar, but ends up in jail after refusing the advances of Potiphar’s wife.  While imprisoned, Joseph discovers his ability to interpret dreams, and he soon finds himself in front of the mighty but troubled showman, the Pharaoh.  As Joseph strives to resolve Egypt’s famine, he becomes Pharaoh’s right-hand man and eventually reunites with his family.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat endures through director Laurence Connor’s staging and designer, Morgan Large’s set and costumes.

‘I was very proud of the way that the show took the audience by surprise,’ says Connor. ‘There was a new approach for the Narrator, and the playfulness of the children was very much a part of that show’s identity – and I wanted to hold on to that. We’re maintaining that same spirit, just with a different tone.’

The scale of Morgan Large’s big, colorful set reveals itself as the show progresses, creating a playground for the biggest game of dress-up in the world.

‘The real challenge was to come up with our own take on a show that people hold very dear to them,’ Morgan Large said. ‘I did this by splitting the design into three very distinct worlds – the world of the Narrator, who in our production is an ethereal story-teller who invites the children to go on this magical journey with her. Her world is represented by constellations of stars from which she conjures Joseph. Second is the world of Canaan, and this is our landscape vistas – it’s a more grounded world where the people are people of the earth, growing crops, and our sun too gives us bold block acid colours. The third world is Egypt, and we use shimmering golden surfaces to contrast the simplicity of Canaan, and echo Joseph’s elevated status.’

SYNOPSIS

ACT ONE

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is based on the story of Joseph from the Bible’s Book of Genesis. A Narrator opens the show by introducing Joseph, the dreamer (“Prologue”).

The Narrator then draws the audience’s attention to Joseph’s father and his 12 sons (“Jacob and Sons”). Jacob has given Joseph, his youngest and favourite son, a multi-colored coat and his brothers are envious of him (“Joseph’s Coat”).

The brothers’ jealousy is compounded by Joseph’s dreams, which suggest that he is destined to rule over them (“Joseph’s Dreams”). To stop this from happening they try to kill him, before changing their minds and selling him as a slave to some passing Ishmaelites (“Poor, Poor Joseph”).

To hide what they have done, Joseph’s brothers and their wives tell Jacob that his beloved son has been killed by a wild animal. As proof, they show Joseph’s coat, which they have torn to pieces and covered in goat’s blood (“One More Angel in Heaven”). When the devastated Jacob exits, the brothers and wives cheerfully celebrate Joseph’s departure (“Hoedown”).

Meanwhile, Joseph is taken to Egypt (“Journey to Egypt”). There he is bought as a slave by the wealthy Potiphar. He works hard and is promoted, eventually running the household. Joseph catches the eye of Mrs. Potiphar and although he turns down her advances, Potiphar sees them together and jumps to the wrong conclusion (“Potiphar”). Furious, he throws Joseph in jail.

A miserable Joseph laments his situation (“Close Every Door”), but things look up when two prisoners, both former servants of the Pharaoh, are put in his cell. Joseph interprets their strange dreams and predicts the Butler will return to Pharaoh’s service, while the Baker will be executed. On hearinghis prophecies, the other prisoners encourage Joseph to follow his own dreams (“Go, Go, Go Joseph”).

ACT TWO

The Narrator opens the second act with news that there’s a glimmer of light for Joseph in jail: Pharaoh himself had a run of crazy dreams and nobody can interpret them (“Pharaoh Story”). Pharaoh’s (now freed) Butler tells him of Joseph’s skills deciphering dreams (“Poor, Poor Pharaoh”). Pharaoh has Joseph brought to him and describes his dream involving seven fat cows, seven skinny cows and seven healthy ears of corn and seven dead ears of corn (“Song of the King”).

Joseph deduces that there will be seven plentiful years of crops followed by seven years of famine (“Pharaoh’s Dreams Explained”). Impressed with what he hears, Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of preparations for the famine and the former slave becomes the second most powerful man in Egypt, Pharaoh’s right-hand man (“Stone the Crows”).

Meanwhile, Joseph’s family back home is struggling due to the famine, with his brothers regretting what they did to him and how they lied to their father (“Those Canaan Days”). Hearing that Egypt still has food, they travel there to beg for supplies (“The Brothers Come to Egypt”).

In Egypt, the brothers request food from Joseph, not realizing who he is (“Grovel, Grovel”). Joseph gives them sacks of food, but puts a golden cup in the one belonging to Benjamin, his youngest brother, whom he has never met. When the brothers attempt to depart, Joseph stops them, accusing them of theft. Each brother empties his sack (“Who’s the Thief?”) and when the cup is found in Benjamin’s sack Joseph accuses him of stealing. The other brothers beg Joseph to take them prisoner instead and let Benjamin go free (“Benjamin Calypso”).

Joseph sees that his brothers have changed and reveals who he really is (“Joseph All the Time”). Joseph sends for his father and the pair are reunited (“Jacob in Egypt”). Joseph wears his colored coat again Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (“Any Dream Will Do”/ “Close Every Door”).

SONGS

OVERTURE
Orchestra

PROLOGUE
Narrator, Children

ANY DREAM WILL DO
Joseph, Children

JACOB AND SONS
Narrator, Brothers, Wives

JOSEPH’S COAT
Narrator, Joseph, Brothers, Wives

JOSEPH’S DREAMS
Narrator, Joseph, Brothers, Wives

POOR, POOR JOSEPH
Narrator, Joseph, Brothers

ONE MORE ANGEL IN HEAVEN
Reuben, Narrator, Brothers, Wives

POTIPHAR
Narrator, Potiphar, Joseph, Guards

CLOSE EVERY DOOR
Joseph, Children

GO, GO, GO JOSEPH
Narrator, Joseph, Baker, Butler, Children, Ensemble

INTERVAL

ENTR’ACTE
Orchestra

A PHARAOH’S STORY
Narrator, Children

POOR, POOR PHARAOH / SONG OF THE KING
Narrator, Butler, Pharaoh, Children, Ensemble

PHARAOH’S DREAM EXPLAINED
Joseph, Ensemble

STONE THE CROWS
Narrator, Pharaoh, Children, Female Ensemble

THOSE CANAAN DAYS
Simeon, Brothers

THE BROTHERS CAME TO EGYPT / GROVEL, GROVEL
Narrator, Joseph, Brothers, Female Ensemble

WHO’S THE THIEF?
Joseph, Narrator, Female Ensemble

BENJAMIN CALYPSO
Judah, Issachar, Brothers, Female Ensemble

JOSEPH ALL THE TIME
Narrator, Joseph, Children, Ensemble

JACOB IN EGYPT
Children, Ensemble

ANY DREAM WILL DO (Finale)
Joseph, Narrator, Children, Ensemble

JOSEPH MEGAMIX

I had previously worked on the North American touring production of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT Vancouver engagement in 1994…