Product: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat [VHS] (2000)
Rating: 4.0
Great kids' entertainment , lacks magic of stage production
I just watched this video (alone) because I couldn't wait until the rest of the family was ready--I really love musical comedies.However, I was somewhat disappointed in the production which has really splashy stage sets but a little less personality than the production I saw on stage last year at the Papermill Theater--which was absolutely fabulous (which is why I was so eager to see this video).However, it's such a treat to have the play available on video that I don't want to sound too negative--it's a wonderful show for children, and parents will enjoy it on quite another level, given its "hit parade" of musical styles from Country-western, to casbah-French.The sets are magnificent and the music is catchy--though Donnie Osmond is not my favorite musical comedy star--he was acceptable, if not inspiring.The narrator's role I thought was very ably filled by Maria Friedman, who was unfamiliar to me. All in all it's a very enjoyable video, with very little to deter purchasing it for children--the one sort of "suggestive" scene with Joan Collins could pass TV censors without blinking an eye, and was not really worth much dramatic import--so it could have been done differently--but shouldn't offend anyone other than fanatic prudes who find even the word "bed" to be too suggestive for small children (who are unlikely to understand what is being referred to anyway).