irishm I had never heard of this show 20-some years ago when I went with friends to see a local amateur production because their son played one of the brothers. The witty lyrics, the catchy tunes, the sheer creativity of throwing all those different musical styles together in the same show… wow. I went right out and bought the soundtrack.Then I saw this version in the TV listings and my first thought was: oh no, NOT Donny Osmond. Well, I'm still not a fan of his, really, but I thought he was absolutely perfect as Joseph. In fact, I'm not an Andrew Lloyd Webber devotee either, but that doesn't stop me from loving this show. The whole thing was fabulous, all of the casting choices (with the exception of Joan Collins… ugh) were perfect, and it's so entertaining I've probably seen it 20 times. I even recommended it to my elderly father, who is religious enough to require kind of a heads-up disclaimer for something like this that treats a Bible story with less than straight- faced reverence… he enjoyed it so much he bought the DVD.Highly recommend, but if you have little kids you might want to preview it to make sure the costumes are something you're okay with… some of them are a bit skimpy, but being child-free myself it wasn't a concern.

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!

treeline1 This filmed version of the play is both enjoyable and annoying. The story is a tuneful, mostly cheerful telling of the highlights of Joseph's story from his coat of many colors to slavery to power, but those looking for a reverent Bible story will be disappointed in this mocking and sarcastic show. On the plus side, Donny Osmond is quite appealing as the innocent Joseph and he sings with ease and emotion; his scenes are the best.My problems stem from the structure of the show. The action takes place on a school stage with the students often chiming in as a choir and it just doesn't gather any dramatic steam. The composers were only 19 and 21 when this was first conceived and they apparently let their youthful enthusiasm go unchecked; their music is catchy and the rhyming lyrics are clever, but there's no continuity or sense of serious theatre. One never suspends disbelief because we are constantly reminded it's a school play.The songs range from sweet to kitschy in pop, calypso, disco, and cowboy-country style. The props are painted cardboard and the costumes range from period to techno to kid-unfriendly suggestive. The narrator (Maria Friedman) has the most screen time and she's an annoying know-it-all who continually grabs the spotlight away from the action.Several of the songs are quite nice and will stick with you, especially "Any Dream Will Do" and "Close Every Door," and Pharoah's Elvis impersonation is funny, if weird. The show was originally aimed at children, but I think they might lose interest or be confused. The play lacks the substance of the composers' later "Jesus Christ Superstar" but is nice for Donny fans.

weaveworld3 I have seen the musical/play live (not with Donny). I agree it is more fun to see live but there is no one who can play Joseph like Donny. He has the most glorious voice to sing these songs. He is no where near the teen idol he once was. Although he was very cute then and certainly has grown up to be one handsome man. Knowing his background with his beliefs and his wonderful family also helps to see him play this part. He has such a wonderful aura about him because he is a good kind-hearted person and morally upright. The story itself is a great one and the men playing the brothers are just wonderful as is the fella playing Pharaoh. It's a fun movie to watch and you might learn a lesson from it. "Close Any Door" brings tears to me every time. I have heard at least three other men sing it and not one is even near Donny's deliverance and emotion. Please give it a try.