Let's overthink it!
Theo (5) recently found my original cast recording of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He played the CD in the car and was hooked from the very first song, and Alec (10) soon joined in the love. We listen to it all the time, and the boys argue about which song to play in the kitchen after school.
I am delighted by this; I adore this musical. The narrator is one of my Broadway dream roles. But listening to it with my very literal-minded children who never miss a detail has reminded me of some quibbles I've always had with it. (It's also led me to learn a few new things, such as: What does "took the biscuit" mean? And: Is it really pronounced Ram-uh-sees?)
First up, the "I want" song: Any Dream Will Do. We love the tune and the beautifully rhyming lyrics, and we sing it loudly and dramatically.
"...a CRASH of drums, a FLASH of light, my golden coat flew out of sight..."
You know you want to do a starburst hand motion with that FLASH of light.
But when I really listen to the words, I'm at a loss to say what any of it means.
I closed my eyes, drew back the curtain
To see for certain what I thought I knew
Far far away, someone was weeping
But the world was sleeping
Any dream will do
Who was weeping? And the world was sleeping? What does that mean? Tell me, Tim Rice!
The phrases "what I thought I knew" and "any dream will do" suggest that Joseph was disillusioned by or dissatisfied with his life, but we know from the next two songs that he was the favorite and lived a pretty charmed life, at least initially. I guess he's singing these lines from a perspective later in life? But it's only the second song of the show!
This is kind of my main problem with Joseph. He doesn't have any goals or specific talents. Ok, he can interpret dreams, but I don't get the sense that he worked for that; he was just good at it. Lots of things happen to him, but what action does he take, other than wait around for any old dream that will do?
I suppose we must give him credit for working harder than the rest of the slaves over at Potiphar's place and refusing to have an affair with Potiphar's wife, but aside from that, what does he do? What are his good qualities?
After he correctly interprets Pharaoh's dream and is released from prison, he says, "anyone from anywhere can make it if they get a lucky break." I've always thought that was kind of a weak conclusion. No mention of working hard, being kind, helping others, or, since this is a Bible story, having faith in God. Just hope for your lucky break, y'all.
Jacob was the founder of a whole new nation
Thanks to the number of children he had
He was also known as Israel, but most of the time
His sons and his wives used to call him Dad.
Alec: His wives used to call him Dad?
Sarah: Yeah, that's weird. And gross. I think they should have tried harder to find a better rhyme.
Joseph's mother, she was quite my favorite wife
I never really loved another all my life
And Joseph was my joy because
He reminded me of her
Jacob wanted to show the world he loved his son
To make it clear that Joseph was the special one
So Jacob bought his son a coat
A multi-colored coat to wear
So you have a favorite child and declare it over and over to your other 11 kids, and then, to really drive it home, you buy him a fancy coat to ensure that not just his siblings, but the whole community, will know that he's the best one. This is some crappy parenting, Jacob. You need to do better.
As a result of their jealousy, the brothers "tore his coat and flung him in a pit", in other words, brought him into the wilderness to die, then changed their minds and sold him into slavery.
Theo: Wow, those guys are mean to fling him in a pit.
Sarah: Yeah, that's a terrible way to treat your brother, even if you don't like him.
Theo: That's not what I do. Those are the baddest boys I've ever heard of.
Joseph ends up at Potiphar's house and is noticed by the roving eye of Potiphar's wife. We had a whole discussion on slavery and how in a "his word against hers" situation, the servant would never be believed over the lady of the house. Also--
Kid: What does she mean, "Come and lie with me, love"?
Parent: Uh, like, come give me a kiss. But she's married to someone else, so she shouldn't be asking him that. And that's why he tells her "I don't believe in free love."
Heh, heh. Moving on...
Theo loves the drama. When I asked him his favorite part, he said in a mean, growly voice, "Joseph, I'll see you rot in jail!" I repeated it, with the rolled R in "rot", like they do in the show.
"How do you do that, Mom?" he asked as he tried, unsuccessfully, to roll his Rs.
One day in the car, for the first time, Theo and I made it to the very end of the story. Joseph is triumphant, he reunites with his father, and with his last lines he sings (and I am just belting this out from the driver's seat):
Give me my colored coat, my amazing colored coat
Give me my colored coat, my amaaaaa-ziiiiing coooooo-lored-
Theo: But I thought they dipped it! Wait, mom, pause it!
You guys, he asked me to pause it on the final three words of the whole show. I literally could not stop and just held up a hand to him in the back seat.
Sarah:--COOOOOOOAAAAAAAT! Ok, sorry buddy, what did you need?
Theo: Why didn't you pause it when I asked you to?
Sarah: Because it was right at the end; you gotta keep rolling with that finale, you can't stop it on the last word.
Theo: Oh. Ok. How could they give him his coat? I thought they dipped it.
(As in, "they dipped his coat in blood and guts and gore".)
Sarah: Hm. I guess they washed it and then hung onto it.
See how you can't get anything past a kid? They remember everything. And they don't suffer illogical scenarios gladly. So good luck convincing them that anyone from anywhere can make it if they get a lucky break.
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