It's well known that Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice cut their teeth on Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat before shifting to the New Testament and hitting the big time with Jesus Christ Superstar. And thanks to the box-office clout of Lloyd Webber, as well as the rather sparse supply of new tuneful musicals, this charming little show has reached audiences far beyond the schoolchildren it was intended for. The score shows off Rice's clever lyrics and Lloyd Webber's wide eclectic tastes, with his takes on country, calypso, French café music, Rudy Vallee, and Elvis. The show also includes some simply very fine songs, including "You Are What You Feel/Jacob and Sons," "Close Every Door," and the peppy "Go Go Joseph." Leading the 1982 Broadway cast is the enormously appealing Laurie Beechman in the role of the narrator. Joseph has been subsequently revived in bigger, bolder incarnations starring Donny Osmond and then Sam Harris, presumably to justify a big ticket price for what at heart remains a small-scale show--proof that you don't always get what you pay for. --David Horiuchi
