Product: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat [VHS] (2000)
Rating: 4.0
Marvelous with Misgivings
I saw this movie version only 4 months after finally seeing a professional stage production, though I've been an A.L.Webber devotee for years. Compared to the stage show, I was somewhat dissappointed: The Coat itself was more Amazing on stage and the brothers in ten gallon hats or berets definately added to the parodies of musical genres in the stage show. Donny O. lent more naivite to the Joseph role, though not enough angst to "Close Every Door". The narrator did not add much except her exagerated mugging. And why did they skimp on her costume; to show the difference between skimpy Egyptians and dowdy school teachers? No wonder there was no chemistry between them. I actually though it was a scream to see a very well preserved Joan Collins cast in her usual seductive/cradle-robbing role. It was subtle enough to go over the heads of my pre-teen kids. I liked the device of starting off in the auditorium which relates to the origins of the show, but I found it jarring to jump back and forth in time which could have been saved for the end, just when you almost forget where it started. Otherwise, the music makes it all worthwhile, especially if you can't have orchestra seats. It would be fun to see it on the big screen.