BlazeLime Strong and Moving!

WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

TheLittleSongbird Phantom of the Opera is my favourite of his musicals, but Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a very close second and the most accessible to younger audiences. The story is very faithful to the Biblical story and maintains its impact. And the songs are among Lloyd Webber's best with memorable melodies and witty lyrics, Close Every Door and Any Dream Will Do brings me to tears every time, Pharaoh's Dream is hilarious and Benjamin's Calypso is catchy, all to name a few. This is a great performance of it, a little different with a few modern but tasteful generally touches, but it is colourful and entertaining, seeing as Joseph should be those attributes the production does its job wonderfully. Joan Collins is alluring and seductive as Potiphar's wife, clearly having a whale of a time, but her seductive and somewhat risqué scene has a tendency to go overboard, so I can see why people found it a little on the inappropriate side. The children were a lovely touch and very touching often, though I agree that there were times(ie. stairs to Pharaoh's head or something or other) where they weren't needed. These aside, the whole production looks amazing, the way the costumes and sets are designed are very inventively done and there is so much vibrant colour, especially in Close Every Door and Benjamin's Calypso, that looks even more so on the Blu-Ray. The stage direction is done with humour and heart and the choreography is sparkling and witty. The orchestra/band play with the right upbeatness, pathos, style and emotional power the score needs. The chorus harmonise really beautifully, the repeated Poor, Pooh Josephs are particularly good and Go, Go, Go Joseph leaves you in a smiling mood. Of the performances, I really have to give top honours to Maria Friedman, she has an amazingly powerful voice and a very natural charisma that made for a spot-on performance as the Narrator, a very good thing as she apart from Joseph is the driving force in the telling of the story. Donny Osmond is wonderful as Joseph, people were sceptical of his casting I know, his voice is strong and a little more mature than Jason Donovan's, and he is a communicative actor who looks as though he's having fun and he also feels the music he's singing. Robert Torti's Pharaoh steals the scenes he's in, he is incredibly magnetic and his channelling of Elvis Presley is hilarious, Pharaoh's Dream was one of the highlights of that production for those reasons. Ian McNeice(an excellent Potiphar who is quite scary when he's angry) and Richard Attenborough(a stoic and moving Jacob) also give fine performances, and the brothers show jealousy, fun and remorse very convincingly, there's some very talented singers and actors there especially Simeon, Rueben and Benjamin. Overall, very colourful and entertaining. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Troll_Dahl Boy, I wish we had assemblies like this when I was in school!I was introduced to Andrew Lloyd Webber and the wonderful lyricist Tim Rice through Jesus Christ Superstar. Joseph is somewhat of a cousin to that show but it is a different kettle of fish at the same time. It is clearly designed to be accessible to school children-- which is great. Kids are an audience worthy of being catered to and it's wonderful to see them becoming involved in the arts, as the DVD extras show us that English schools host their own productions. But Dreamcoat also holds much for adults who are willing to forgo pretensions in favor of fun. This is not classical theatre but it is enjoyable lightweight popular theatre, accessible to anyone with an appreciation for the wacky and zany. In short, it is entertaining. It is good music with a good message for kids--and Tim Rice's lyrics are witty as ever. Another thing this is not, however, is a religious show. Parents, note that this isn't to the Bible for kids. It's not a Christian (or Jewish) perspective; rather, it is universal. Joseph and friends are depicted no differently than if they were figures in Greek or Norse mythology; there is no special reverence nor special disdain, although the approach is light-hearted and fun-loving. It's another story. At one point, Maria Friedman, playing narrator, stumbles and drops her Bible, telegraphing that this is a non-traditionalist, possibly off-center treatment of scripture, one that absolutely requires a taste for the whimsical.I've sadly never seen the show on stage, which m I'd love to, but I do see how this rendition could disappoint one in search of the purely theatrical. However, one of two things I like is actually dependent on the filmic medium. The story is bookended as a play children are watching in school. When Joseph emerges, it becomes a blend of reality and fantasy. The lines are blurred and the action is effectively placed in a unique realm that, I find, engages the imagination. It's a bit of a throwback to the like of the 1973 film of Jesus Christ Superstar, which similarly bookends its main story as a performance of sorts. Except Dreamcoat is presented ideally for connecting with kids. At the same time, this presentation is strongly theatrical on other ways and I really appreciate getting a bit of the theatrical experience in the living room, as I do love theatre.The other thing I really like is the sheer variety. There's '50s-style rock 'n' roll with the classic Go, Go Joseph and Pharo's Dream, an outrageous Elvis imitation. There's a faux country/western ballad as Joe's bros deliciously pretend to mourn him. And there's a wonderful calypso that will get stuck in your head for days. Webber takes a pantheon of popular music styles that people love and weaves them together in storytelling. That's pop theatre. It seems typical of Webber and it's similar to the musical brilliance that makes Superstar a classic of fantastic appeal. Dreamcoat is cut from the same cloth, dyed in different hues.As to the cast, the all-star approach seems over the top but it's always nice seeing Richard Attenborough (Jacob). And I've never followed Osmond but I crest him for a good performance, making Joe warn and radiant. Watching him with the kids is a joy. The ending Coat of Many Colors sequence is marvelous, as we see the kids form a unified body of many colors on stage, and the bookending number, Any Dream Will Do, can stand as a classic entirely on its own (more so than Joseph's slower ballad while in prison). The supporting cast is uniformly excellent, especially Judah, Pharo, the butler, and the baker. Friedman is amusing if over the top as narrator, a device that seems conceived to help kids understand the story. I recognized Englishman Ian McNiece as Potiphar, a delightful performance of a colorful characterization, not to be missed.In short, Dreamcoat lives up to its title: the characters are all colorful. The music is fun and the themes poignant. The story and music conjure and help to preserve a spirit of dreaming and daring to have and glorify dreams and hope, as well as a spirit of love and unity. Which is beautiful. This show could also serve as a fun way to introduce kids to musical theatre. The upbeat music, goofiness, and presence of kids in the story should help draw kids in. If I chose two words to describe Dreamcoat, they would be "color" and "dreams", two things children should not be short of. Everyone should sew a Dreamcoat.

evening1 A satisfying translation of a Biblical story into terms that everyone can enjoy.I never thought I could savor anything by Donny Osmond, but he is perfectly cast and superb in the role of a gifted if somewhat self-satisfied favorite son turned prophet and power behind the pharoanic throne.This is truly an opera, with a matchless chorus complete with masterful soloists. The musical narration of Maria Friedman -- whatever happened to this talented singer? -- kept things moving along seamlessly.I loved that this was set in a stuffy boarding school -- did anyone else think they saw Macaulay Culkin (born in 1980) sitting in the audience -- I thought the children's voices and vitality added nicely to the power of this production.I always felt this work was somewhat derivative of "Jesus Christ Superstar" but I think it holds its own nicely, decades after its creation.I wish more were done to bring other classic stories of the Bible and other works to the stage with this much vitality!

marazion1010 I must say how I was very surprised at how good this show actually was. I have seen it many times on the stage so thought that the video would not be very good at all. However, I was really pleased with the entire thing. The characters were just as good as on the stage and Donny Osmond fitted the part perfectly, another thing I was adamant about at first being a strong Jason Donovan supporter!! Donny did a good job. As for the special guest Joan Collins, I only wished she toured with the stage show! She was good at the small part she played and it was a shock to see her there. Fantastic. It was also very good at how they made the show so that it was like a school production type of thing. Great idea that worked well in my opinion. It is a must-see for any musical fan and a definite must have for a Donny fan. He is gorgeous in it!