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Joseph is one of those musicals that anyone can have a crack at and still do well. It helps that Lloyd Webber and Rice conceived the original 15-minute version for a school setting before they presented it on a professional theatre stage.
Through the years this musical has had more official recordings in English than any other Lloyd Webber musical to date. At last count I counted six recordings of the full Joseph score, including the video version with Donny Osmond. Of the three "New Production" recordings from the 1990s this recording with Donovan, Hateley and the London Palladium revival cast is the best-characterised. I know that Osmond did so well in the North American production of this Pimlott revival that Lloyd Webber tapped him to preserve the role in the 1999 video version. However I do note that the Canadian and LA cast albums of this production feel a bit overcooked compared to this. There is more atmosphere and feeling here and the cast has more of an affinity with the very English style and humour of the words and music. I know I've contradicted myself here because elsewhere I've vouched for the American cast recording of Cats over the British cast album. Fortunately that American cast feels for the style and T.S. Eliot's American roots might help that recording despite the British deportment of the Practical Cats poems.
The cast performances from this Palladium revival company are top-notch and spirited. Donovan conveys Joseph's naive side comparatively better than his other recorded "New Production" colleagues. He is well-complemented by Hateley's solid, bubbly performance as the Narrator. David Easter relishes his turn as the Elvis-style Pharaoh and the ensemble of brothers and wives is excellent as well. I find that I like this group of brothers better than their competing teams on the other recordings. They convey the jealousy in a more humane way and don't overdo it to sound brutal. In addition there are excellent soloists among the brothers for the three pastiches. Nicolas Colicos offers a superbly twangy One more angel and Johnny Amobi sings the Benjamin calypso to the rafters. Philip Cox is a bit subdued with his French accent in his Canaan days solo, but still he does it well. This group of brothers has a one-up over their competing teams on other recordings.
Although I enjoy this London Palladium cast album of Joseph more than the other English language recordings, I have some doubts about the overall feel of this Lloyd Webber musical in recent years. The Pimlott revival was excellent and dazzling in its way but at times it tended to lose the original school musical feel that informed the original 15-minute pop cantata version of Joseph. I'm not against the John Cameron orchestrations per se, but there are times when I find that the arrangements on this recording feel a bit over-produced and overcooked.
For instance, it would have been more effective for Close Every Door to have a quiet finish rather than the big finish on the 1990s revival recordings. I also notice that the Song of the King and the conclusion of Go Go Go Joseph are a bit too heavy. Pharaoh's Elvis burlesque in particular is a bit too heavy and it sounds like it's hitting you over the head to force you to become a rock'n'roll fan rather than offering up a tongue-in-cheek, fun impression of Elvis. At times the instrumental accompaniment overwhelms the voices and makes the score lose its kid heart. I also feel doubtful about the Megamix because it doesn't quite wear well after repeated listenings.
It would be nice if there was a Joseph recording that still utilised the updated 1990s orchestrations yet retained the spirit and feel of the original school musical. I know that the pre-1990s recordings had a smaller-scale feel but not all of them were satisfactory and fun. I know some of you would like to point me to the 1982 Broadway recording with Hutton and Beechman, but it's not exactly for me. For now, this Donovan version of Joseph, the deleted CD of the Donny Osmond film soundtrack and even the 1974 MCA studio cast with Gary Bond are my go-to sources of this Lloyd Webber musical. I am particularly happy that this Pimlott revival incorporated a children's choir into the production to connect it to its school roots, and the children's choir does well in this recorded version of the score.
I'm not against this version or the Pimlott revival. It has its own strengths and so does this recording. I'm not saying that we should avoid it when listening to Joseph. It would be nice if it were more intimate and less over-produced at times. But it has an understated charm that appeals to me and to many other listeners, and is better able to convey the spirit of the musical compared to other recordings.
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