Joseph (blah blah blah) Dreamcoat Revival?

[Starship]

What do you all think about a Joseph...Dreamcoat revival? Do you think it would ever happen? It seems as if the show is getting to become pretty darn popular again and I'd love to see it on a large scale again, even if it's just for a limited engagement. But, maybe that's just me!

If you agree, casting ideas? I thought Jonathan Groff as Joseph, Sara Ramirez or Shoshana Bean as the Narrator, John Tartaglia, or Raul Espraza, or Daniel Beaker as Pharaoh, Ed Dixon as Jacob/Potiphar/Guru and Holly Ann Butler or Ellyn Marsh as Potiphar's Wife would round out a fantastic fantastic cast.

What do you guys think?

[JeanGudio]

I do think David Badella

[bwayphreak234]

This show should stay in community theatre.

[darquegk]

Is the "Keep On Truckin" Guru really a common element in productions? I thought he was just thrown into the film's "Go Go Go Joseph" as a one-off gag. I've never seen a live production that uses him- probably because people are confused. Is it Jacob? Is it God? Is it Moses? Who is this guy?

That said, my dream Joseph is twelve guys. That's it. Joseph is the common element, as the eleven brothers form the rest of the story- and the rest of the cast- themselves, Poor Theatre style.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

The Guru was a standard part of the '91 revival (I think it was more a joke insert due to the Sixties nature of the "Go Go Joseph" number; often played by the same actor as Jacob/Potiphar) and all things derived from it, which includes the video.

[AEA AGMA SM]

"That said, my dream Joseph is twelve guys. That's it. Joseph is the common element, as the eleven brothers form the rest of the story- and the rest of the cast- themselves, Poor Theatre style."

I could see something interesting in that, but I think you would need 13. I think it would be necessary to see Jacob with all 12 of his sons, both during "Jacob and Sons" as well as at the end.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

14. Gotta be a Narrator in there. I'm sorry, but a lot of those lines are too specific for the brothers to be delivering.

[EponineAmneris]

This is without a doubt one of my favorite shows and I wouild love a new revivial on Broadway, not just a tour or regional production...

[Younger Brother]

I'd love to see a trio (ala, The Dynamites in Hairspray) sing the role of the narrarator

[sbflyfan]

No. The Narrator needs to be ONE, Sunday School-ish, kind-looking female, wearing a sparkly jacket.

Not a trio.
Not two females.
Not a male-female duo.
Not one female and then another trailing behind her doing sign language interpretation.

Oh, and she needs to be someone who sings the score AS WRITTEN and does not add in American Idol riffing. (I'm referring to YOU, Shoshana Bean).

No exceptions.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

^ Honestly, I think the Narrator should go back to being male, even once, like it was in the Seventies. I'm sure there are men who could nail it.

[Starship]

I think there's a lot of fun stuff you could do with the show now. And I'm not talking crazy Lady Gaga inspired design elements, but in terms of set design, costumes, and casting. I do prefer the single female Narrator instead of a male Narrator as the show is pretty darn male dominant and adding ANOTHER male would make the show a little too male heavy. Plus, the female Narrator adds some vocal elements that most other males can't add. Yes, a male Narrator would be awesome, but I like my female Narrator.

[LizzieCurry]

I've seen the show done with a male narrator, two female narrators and one female narrator. It always seemed to work best with the latter.

[tourboi]

I'd LOVE the chance to see the 91 staging again. It was brought back in London. It was GOING to be brought back in Toronto. I say bring it back to North America. I've seen hundreds of JOSEPHs through the years, and that's still my favorite.

And agree: One Female Narrator.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Which arrangements? UK revival version or original orchestrations?

[JohnyBroadway]

Gavin Cree too old for Joseph?

[Mister Matt]

I saw the revival tour with Sam Harris and loved it. I was actually stunned it closed on Broadway so quickly.

[Mildred Plotka]

I saw the Harris tour, too, and enjoyed it. I then did the show in college and realized how poorly constructed it truly is. Tim Rice's lyrics are criminal in their forced rhymes. I think at one point he tries to rhyme Farmers/Pajamas. We had to pronounce it "Fa-Mas" to get it to sound right. I don't see a need for another revival. Should stay on the amateur circuit, for sure.

[Mister Matt]

I think at one point he tries to rhyme Farmers/Pajamas.

In a British dialect, they do rhyme.

[tourboi]

I remember Donny Osmond used to strongly pronounce "Farmers" then deliver "pajamas" with a confused tone and look. Always got a laugh.

[Quiche2]

I would enjoy it, and would probably see it multipule times. I just don't think there is enough interest out there for it to do well.

[ClapYo'Hands]

Yes, I was going to say, "farmers" DOES rhyme with "pyjamas" and also happens to be quite an iconic lyric now.

In his book, Tim Rice writes that he did want to change lyrics for the show in later incarnations (the same for Jesus Christ Superstar) but people always complained that they missed the original:

"There are several examples of bad rhyming throughout Joseph...'biscuit'and 'district' always hit the button laugh-wise, but is of course an inaccurate rhyme...Furthermore, when I have tried to correct rhymes for subsequent professional productions, the directors and singers involved always refused to accept the changes, saying they had always loved the original. I am stuck with 'biscuit' and 'district'."

As a side note, Rice has most recently changed the Jesus Christ Superstar Gethsemane lyric "God, thy will is hard, you hold every card." to "God thy will be done, take thy only son." for the new UK Arena Tour.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

^ And I f**king hate it! It takes away any notion of "Was he? Was he not?" in the show completely.

Sorry. JCS fanatic. *sips coffee stolen from AA meeting*

[darquegk]

I don't think it takes away any notion of ambiguity- it merely establishes that Jesus BELIEVES himself to be the messiah, which has already been well-established.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

No, Greg, it's not established. What's established is that the crowd thinks he is. We don't know what he thinks. It's telling that he doesn't call God his father until the very last line of the bloody show when he's about to die. (And as of the score for the last touring revival, even that line's been cut. Most Jesii still include it though.)

[ClapYo'Hands]

I agree completely. The only good thing about the change is that it avoids "God, thy willy's hard."