Rating: 
Summary: An Honest Opinion: Falls Short Vocally
Review: I love this musical, and saw it several times (including Broadway). Donny Osmond is arguably an ideal choice for Joseph and this production is visually creative, alive and fun to watch.But if this is one of your favorite musicals, or you saw it with a strong cast, you will likely be disappointed by the rest of the casting. Maria Freidman as The Narrator was clearly a choice based on laurels, rather than vocal strength. She has a lovely voice, but it simply doesn't suit the demanding vocal range for THIS role. If this production was meant to present this musical's best side, this is where it falls severely short. She's charming to watch, and in the middle range, her voice is lovely. But she's not anyone's vocal ideal for this role. Anyone who says otherwise, obviously hasn't heard all the other Narrators (Laurie Beechman was my personal favorite). It's a fun production regardless, the music is catchy, it's colorful and well shot (despite the camera moving around so much it can be hard to get a good look at the wonderful costumes). I love the musical; I'm disappointed, but happy that I can watch even a B-grade production of it over and over again. Footnote: if the preview we got from PBS is a true indication of the upcoming filmed version of "Jesus Christ Superstar".... expect more casting based on popularity & marketing, rather than vocal strength.
Rating: 
Summary: Colorful and Amazing!
Review: Having been disappointed by several filmed musicals, I used to think that musical adaptation for film could hardly work. But this DVD has changed my view and I now believe a good musical can be as great on a small screen as on a big stage.
It is simply amazing how Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber could transform Bible story into contemporary fable. This production amazes me with its wonderful cast, great choreography, and excellent staging. It is truly a dazzling production, fulfilling the satisfaction of your ears and eyes to the ultimate. It certainly has its tricks to attract small kid's attention. My two little boys love it. This is the only show, besides "Power Ranger" and "SpongeBob", which can make them sit through and watch it again and again.
The music score is enchanting (like all Andrew Lloyd Webber music), especially versatile, and full of fun. Donny Osmond is perfect for Joseph and delivers the best "Close Every Door" among all the other Joseph's. Maria Friedman is very good as narrator. Besides her unique voice, her acting is natural and just right for the role. The eleven jealous brothers' comical performance in country, French café music, and calypso are marvelous and couldn't be more entertaining. They definitely add a yummy topping to the show. Another masterstroke is the impersonation of pharaoh (King) with "Elvis-the King", which is absolutely brilliant and witty.
My family has been enjoying this DVD since it arrived. The more we watched, the more we love it. We are so deep in love with this joyful show that it's come to the point that every song means, and every nuance matters.
Rating:
Summary: Dazzlingand Shimerring
Review: Wow! I really dont have regrets when i bought this film, it's truly fantastic. Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber has done it again like what they did from the 'modern' version of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' The film was filled with dazzling performances and colourful visuals especially their costumes and the set! Not to mention its hit music like the full swing groove of 'Go Go Go Joseph' wonderfully choreographed by the casts and comical song 'Jacob and Sons'. Casts led by Donny Osmond did a great job of performing 'live' in this film. Sound is spectacular and music was a hip!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: The only downside to my buying this DVD is that now I regret that I never saw this show live, especially when Donny Osmond was playing Joseph. I had previously owned a cast recording of this show on CD, which I liked fairly well and listened to occasionally. Now that I've watched this DVD, the cast recording seems flat and dull in comparison. This DVD version is just fantastic! Better voices and so much more energy. I love all of the cast on this version. Donny Osmond is simply perfect as Joseph, and Maria Friedman is captivating as the narrator. And there are so few musicals like this one, where the music is consistently good. It's just one great song after another. I only wish it was longer! "Joseph" is good, light-hearted fun and rarely takes itself seriously. It would be appropriate for kids except for the Mrs. Potiphar scene. When my toddler is watching with me, I skip over that bit. I also enjoyed the behind-the-scenes video that was included in the bonus materials. I was a little bored with the segments on the school productions, but there were other bits that were interesting and fun to watch. I especially liked the part about memorizing all the colors. I've watched this DVD so many times now that I've nearly got them memorized myself..
Rating:
Summary: A truly AMAZING DVD
Review: The DVD of Joesph is as far as I am concerned one of the best transfers of a stage show to film and even better than the video of CATS. Watching Joseph is almost like watching a live action cartoon with all the characters beautifully and humorously defined. Donny Osmond as Jospeh is stunning, he sings well and looks good in the role, however Maria Friedman is a revelation - I have seen her in numerous things on stage in London, and was unsure as to how she would come across on film, but she captures your attention as soon as she appears and doesn't let go until the end. Cameo appearances from Richard Attenborough and Joan Collins are superb, if brief! The supporting cast are also excellent, hamming up there roles to full effect. It is beautifully filmed, in vivid colours and the director keeps the pace throughout the film. The 30 minute documentary on the DVD about various school productions is fun, tho it would have been nice to have 30 mins of The Making of the Film instead. This is a pacy,fun filled,colourful 100 minutes of unchallenging nonsense and if your in 2 minds as to whether or not to get this DVD, BUY IT - you won't be disappointed!
Rating: 
Summary: Great visually, severely lacking musically
Review: If I could somehow take my CD of Joseph and line it up with this video, I would love this video. Joseph is excellent, but everyone else is only so-so. Scratch that. Everyone else is pretty bad. Visually, this was fun to watch. There's one good part in "Joseph's Coat" where the brothers (I think it's the brothers...) grab the bottom of the coat and twirl it around so the bottom half forms a color wheel of sorts. The kids running up on stage is creative, but a bit cheesy. The sets are fantastic, but clearly are designed to keep the movie grounded in its Broadway musical roots. Also, it's difficult to explain in text, but the kids in the audience look dispairingly cheesy. They have these fake smiles plastered on their faces and generally look dumb. It would not surprise me to find that the kids choir was originally from a Broadway cast and thus accustomed to overaccentuating any sort of movement. The Narrator is really not very good. I can't explain why, but it just doesn't work. Potiphar is fairly good, but he spends so much time speaking his lines instead of singing them that you hear very little of what sounded to be an excellent voice. Jacob is weak. Even if the character is an old man, the part deserves to be a fairly strong singer. The first "Poor, Poor Joseph" (when he was tossed into the pit) was visually very amusing. Very funny, but the Narrator singing it was still not great. Donny Osmond is really the only character that seems to grasp that the movie should be presented as a movie, not an overly articulated and video-taped Broadway musical. (Please understand that I'm mentally playing through the video as I write this) "Go, Go, Go Joseph" was presented as an interesting disco party. I'm not sure of the original intentions, but that scene was enjoyable. The Butler and the Baker however were again let-downs. The French accents in "Those Canaan Days," although affected by all of the brothers and Jacob, were not very good. There was a lot of non-French accent creeping in. This video is no substitute for seeing it live. I've seen it live twice by both a touring company and a local theater and both were far superior to this video. If you want to listen to the music, I suggest the 1992 Canadian Cast Recording, which also contains Donny Osmond as Joseph.
Rating:
Summary: Jolly good fun!
Review: This may be a light-hearted children's musical, but I found the production to be, well just SUPERB. The creative use of the children in a school theatre setting, the lighting, the sets and the costumes are very well done. Visually, it is a feast! Yes, there were some risque scenes, that makes me think twice about showing it to children. How come? This is a musical designed for kids? About one of the most moral characters in the Bible. However, there is a control, it's called 'the fast forward button'. Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber certainly take the micky out of the Elvis cult by portraying Pharoah as 'The King'. I liked this piece of satire, especially when he rips of his headpiece and shows that 50's hair-style! Musically, the show has plenty of energy and some pathos. Donny Osmond's rendition of 'Close Every Door', is sung very slowly and is full of emotion and feeling. It is the highlight of the show. I felt that Joan Collins did an excellent job as the narrator. Overall, I would say, get it! It is an excellent, colourful production and will become a classic.
Rating:
Summary: Lloyd Webber missed the boat...
Review: Visually, the film was very good. I would have liked it to be filmed in front of a live audience, seeing that much of the energy comes from the audience. There was something missing without the live excitement. Osmond was the natural choice for Joseph. He has a strong presence and amazing voice. He looks pretty good too. Maria Friedman was a HUGE letdown. Don't get me wrong. I've seen her do other things and she's an amazing performer, but is simply wrong for the role of the Narrator, visually and vocally. Back in '97, I was living in London and I was told that Linzi Hateley (originated the role of the Narrator in the London revival, was Olivier nominated, and played it for the entire run) was going in for a screen test. I have no idea as to why she wasn't cast. She's beautiful, extremely talented, and deserved to have her performance of the Narrator archived for the world to see. Another good choice would have been Donny Osmond's original right-hand Narrator, Janet Metz. She would have been a joy to watch. Also, Kelli Rabke would have been good. I also heard that pop singer Tina Arena was originally cast as the Narrator for the film. I don't know why she backed out or was replaced. She would have been better than Maria Friedman. As I said before, the film production was well done, but since the Narrator sings practically 75% of the show, the casting of Friedman virtually ruined it for me. She is best put in shows like Sondheim's Passion, and more dramatic, operatic/broadway roles. I love her, just not in "Joseph."
Rating:
Summary: Imperfect, but still terrific fun!
Review: Donny Osmond, it would seem, was born to play this part. Both vocally and in the acting department, he raises the bar for every other Joseph out there. He captures the character's naivete and simultaneous intelligence pitch-perfect, his dazzling smile embodies the character's undying optimism, and his lovely clear tenor is perfectly suited to the singing role. I personally did like the Narrator quite a lot. She's quite funny, and her voice is very pretty. It's true that she's not belting the high notes very strongly - her vocal stylisms are more operatic than the average Broadway soprano, but I think it makes her interpretation unique and adds a quiet intensity that is normally not found in the role. There are some flaws. For example, I found the Mrs. Potiphar scene unnecessarily graphic. Though Ms. Collins looks gorgeous for her age, and acts the part with irascible charm, her costume is largely a flesh-colored leotard with a few strategic bunches of purple sequins. It looks as though she's nude and wearing pasties. The entire instrumental sequence of that scene, which in the stage version is usually just an over-the-top "seduction" scene, is replaced here with a simulated orgy. I always cover my 6yo's eyes during that part. ;) I also agree with the other reviewers who said that the Baker and the Butler were really lifeless and sang terribly, and Jacob was expressionless throughout. His version of "distraught grief" was to stand there slightly slack jawed. Really pretty boring. But these will not deter anyone from thoroughly enjoying this video again and again, and there are many aspects of the production that will forever set the standard. The eleven brothers were priceless, and all had very good chemistry with each other, the Narrator and Joseph. They also all clearly had incredible voices. The costumes were spectacular and colorful, the musical arrangement is the best I've ever heard in this show, and the pacing is compelling and consistent. The Pharaoh slays me every time - his comedic timing and appropriately overdramatic expressions coupled with his gorgeous baritone are just sublime perfection for the role. And Donny will make you grin right back at him. In short, it's a very, very strong production that surpasses every stage version I've ever seen, and it is extremely faithful to the spirit of Webber's vision.
Rating:
Summary: Fun Joseph All the time
Review: I have to agree with other users in saying that Donny does portray a great Joseph. However I've never heard a weaker performance by a narrator. For a true treat to the ears check out the cast recording starring Michael Damian and Kelli Rabke. Kelli puts out the best performance as the narrator in this recording that i've ever heard. I've watched the video, listened to many of the cast recordings and seen the show live countless times and none of the performances stand out in my mind as beautifully as Rabke's and Osmand's. What a treat it would be to see and hear the two of them together instead of the weak performance of the narrator in this video. I have to give the video five stars for creativity though. Recording the show as a performance to a grade school was a great way to easilly incorperate the children's chorus without them looking out of place or loosing screen time in the shadows of the stars.
Overall the video is well worth seeing especially as a precurrser to seeing the live show.
| 
