Joseph and the Amazing; Technicolor Dreamcoat

About the show

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is based on the story of Joseph from the Book of Genesis. A Narrator opens the show by introducing Joseph, the dreamer ("Prologue"). Joseph sings an inspiring song to the audience ("Any Dream Will Do"). The Narrator then draws the audience's attention to Joseph's father Jacob and his 12 sons ("Jacob and Sons"). Jacob favours Joseph over his other sons, and he gives Joseph a multicoloured coat to show his affection for him. Joseph is ecstatic about this gift ("Joseph's Coat"), while his brothers look on with jealousy. 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 by throwing him down a pit, before changing their minds and selling him as a slave to some passing Ishmaelites. The Narrator comments on how powerless Joseph was to stop this ("Poor, Poor Joseph"). To hide what they have done, Joseph's brothers and their wives tell Jacob that his beloved son has been killed. As proof, they show him 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, where 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"). Enraged, he throws Joseph in jail. A heartbroken Joseph laments his situation ("Close Every Door"). 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. As Joseph questions his predictions, the other prisoners encourage Joseph to follow his own dreams ("Go, Go, Go Joseph"). The Narrator opens the second act with news that the Egyptian populace has been plagued by dreams that no one can interpret ("Pharaoh Story"). The butler, now freed and again serving Pharaoh, tells him of Joseph's skill at deciphering dreams ("Poor, Poor Pharaoh"). Pharaoh has Joseph brought to him and describes his dreams, one involving seven fat cows, being devoured by seven skinny cows, and another about seven healthy ears of corn, similarly being devoured by seven withered ears of corn ("Song of the King"). Joseph declares that Egypt will see seven years of plentiful harvests, followed by an equal period of severe famine, and that Pharaoh must select a man to help Egypt prepare for the famine ("Pharaoh's Dreams Explained"). Impressed with what he hears, Pharaoh pardons and frees Joseph, makes him his second-in-command, and puts him in charge of famine preparations. As the seven plentiful years end, and the seven years of famine begins, Egypt, under Joseph's leadership, manages to persevere ("Stone the Crows"). Meanwhile, Joseph's family back home is now starving and poor, having lost their farm and living off scraps in a brothel. Joseph's brothers regret what they did to him and how they lied to their father, thinking that things might have turned out differently if Joseph was still with them ("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 beg for food from Joseph, not recognizing him, and Joseph realizes that as the brothers bow before him this is the dream he had years ago coming true. He initially suggests the brothers might be spies, but they sincerely insist they're struggling ("Grovel, Grovel"). Joseph gives them sacks of food, but in an act of revenge for their attempted fratricide, plants a golden cup in the one belonging to Benjamin, his youngest brother. 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"), then sends for Jacob ("Jacob in Egypt"). Upon meeting Jacob for the first time in years, Joseph sings "Any Dream Will Do" again, and the lyrics are revealed to be a vague overview of the story. Jacob returns Joseph's coat to him, now fully repaired ("Give Me My Coloured Coat") In some productions, the cast perform a medley of songs from the show as they take their bows ("Joseph Megamix").