Product: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat [VHS] (2000)
Rating: 4.0
Fantastic film/video of a musical classic
This is rarity in the world of stage musicals; a show that actually survives the transition to the medium of film. The directors decision to use a school assembly as a "bookending" device, works very well, and the staging is very close to what you would have seen in a live setting. Osmond is perfect in the title role, especially during his big "dramatic moment", the song "Close Every Door", and although I'm a little partial to Kelli Rabke, (the Narrator on the U.S. Cast recording), Maria Friedman is excellent in the role. What a voice! My only reason for withholding one star from my rating is for what I consider to be poor judgment in one particular scene. The segment involving "Mrs. Potiphar" is a little too over-the-top (sexually suggestive) for something being promoted as a family show. This would most certainly earn the film either a PG or PG-13 rating if it was a theatrical release. The packaging is somewhat misleading also. The photo of Joan Collins (Mrs. Potiphar) on the back of the box, pictures her in full costume, but with part of the outfit apparently computer-enhanced so that it is not as risque as it really appears in the show. In a word, tacky. Parents may want to view the tape alone first in order to avoid some embarrasing moments trying to explain to their kids why Joan Collins is groping Donny Osmond. If you have no qualms about this singular mis-step in a otherwise great video, by all means treat yourself to it.