|
|
|
|
|
||
|
Articles
|
||
|
Articles |
The Enduring Appeal of JosephDateline: 13th February, 2004In his review of the touring production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat this week, Steve Orme tells us that he does not understand the appeal of the show so many years after it was written. "It is," he write, "a mystery to me why it's still packing the punters in three decades later." Here we see, perhaps, the perfect example of the frequent discrepancy between the critic and the average theatregoer. The average theatregoer, in fact, is not a frequent theatregoer and is not really interested in theatre per se but rather in being entertained at a live show, recognising the superiority of the live over the on-screen show but not particularly interested in the theatre itself. Critics, on the other hand, tend - and here we must except the critics of the vast majority of the local press, who tend to be ordinary reporters - to be immersed in theatre, aware of the most recent developments, and both interested in and excited by new directions and new ideas. The critic, therefore, whilst possibly acknowledging the historical importance of Joseph, sees its weaknesses and knows just how much the musical has moved on since. So what is the attraction to the punter? For a start, the story is told in a simple, mainly upbeat manner, with lots of humour. The very idea of Pharaoh as an Elvis figure (even apart from the Song of the King itself) strikes a chord - Pharoah is the King, Elvis is the King, so make Pharoah Elvis: weak pun style of humour which has a wide appeal. Then, there's the music: it is a parody of a number of musical styles: Elvis rock 'n' roll, country and western, calypso, French ballad, etc., and that always has an appeal. We like what we like! But, most telling of all, Joseph has been a staple school show for at least twenty years - I did my first production of it in 1979 - and then can be few junior schools (and few secondaries, too) which have not done the show at least once. For many it was probably their first taste of appearing onstage (apart from the Nativity Play, of course) and at a time, in their junior school years, when they were at their most impressionable. A happy memory of schooldays which, in spite of the old saying, may not have been terribly happy in the main. And, of course, it's undemanding: the songs are immediately accessible, the storyline simple, everyone forgives everyone else in the end, God's in his Heaven and all's right with the world It would be quite amazing if it wasn't popular! Articles Indices:
|
|
|
|