Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is one of Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber's many famous musicals. It has had long runs at several Broadway and London theaters and has broken box office records for ticket sales at many of these venues. The musical has even been made into a full-length movie. The show contains award-winning music and is adored by fans throughout the world.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was first performed at the Colet Court School in London in 1968. Andrew Lloyd Weber had been asked by the music teacher at the school to write something for their Easter concert. Weber approached his friend Tim Rice about writing the lyrics, and the two came up with the idea of doing the Biblical story of Joseph. The original performance was presented by a boys' choir and was only twenty minutes long.
The boys' choir did several presentations of the show, and one was even reviewed by a music critic. Weber and Rice decided to rearrange the show into a forty-minute piece that was staged in London. It was again redone a few years later and opened at the Haymarket Theatre in England for its first major production.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was first performed in the United States in 1970. There were several amateur productions in colleges across the United States before its first professional production in 1981. It opened at an East Village theater in New York and sold tickets for 77 performances. The show moved to Broadway a year later and was performed at the Royale Theatre for 747 performances.
In 1991, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat reopened in London at the London Palladium Theatre. This production broke the venue's box office record for ticket sales with over two million tickets sold. It then went on tour in England, the United States, Canada, Australia, and Germany. In 1999, a film version was made starring Donny Osmond and Joan Collins. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat moved to the New London Theatre in 2001.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has been highly successful and has won many awards. In 1992, it was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award. It has also been awarded Best Set Design and Best Costume Design.
The story of Joseph is based on the Holy Bible, Genesis Chapters 37-46. Joseph is the favorite of twelve sons. His brothers resent that fact and sell him into slavery in Egypt. Joseph has the ability to interpret dreams, and when the Pharaoh discovers this, he makes Joseph his assistant. A severe famine strikes, and Joseph's brothers come to Egypt to beg for food. The family is reunited and moves to Egypt. All this takes place during musical and dance numbers. Some of the most famous award-winning songs from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat are 'Any Dream Will Do' and 'Close Every Door.'
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is one of Andrew Lloyd Weber's most enduring musicals. It is one of the world's most performed shows and has featured Broadway actors like Bill Hutton, Andy Gibb, David Cassidy, Laurie Beechman, and Tom Carter. It is still being performed many decades after its first production.
