Is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat biblically accurate?

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The show is based on the story of Joseph in Genesis 37—50. A short version of the show was staged as a cantata in 1968, and the full-length show was produced in 1973 in London. The first Broadway production opened in 1982. The musical is “sung-through,” which means there is no spoken dialogue, only singing.

The Storyline

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has a basic biblical storyline. After introducing Jacob and eleven of his sons, the musical presents Joseph, Jacob’s favorite son. The coat of many colors that Joseph receives, along with the dreams Joseph has, triggers jealousy and murderous hatred in his brothers. The brothers attack Joseph, sell him into slavery, lie to their father about his being dead—and then celebrate being rid of Joseph.

The musical continues to generally follow the biblical narrative: in Egypt, Joseph works as a slave for Potiphar, but Potiphar’s wife propositions Joseph, and he is thrown into prison. While incarcerated, Joseph meets two other prisoners, the king’s baker and butler, who have dreams that Joseph interprets. Later, Pharaoh himself has some dreams and summons Joseph from prison to interpret them. Joseph interprets the dreams as a prediction of seven years of plentiful crops followed by seven years of famine. Joseph’s display of wisdom causes Pharaoh to promote Joseph to second in command over Egypt.

The scene shifts back to Canaan, where Jacob and his other sons languish in a widespread famine. They learn that Egypt has storehouses of food, and the brothers set out to get some. In Egypt, the brothers meet with Joseph but do not recognize him. Joseph tests their character by framing the youngest brother, Benjamin, with theft. The brothers plead for Benjamin’s life, offering theirs for his, and by this Joseph knows they have changed. He reveals his identity to them, and the family all move to Egypt where they have everything they need and live happily ever after.

Biblical Elements

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is biblical in the sense that it is based on a biblical story. The Narrator holds a Bible in several scenes, and the lyrics to the song “Potiphar” even reference “chapter 39 of Genesis” as its source material. Various lines in the musical refer to the new nation that Jacob was the head of and explain that he was also called “Israel.” The song “Close Every Door” contains the lyrics “Children of Israel / Are never alone / For we know we shall find / Our own peace of mind / For we have been promised / A land of our own.”

Questionable Omissions and Subtle Changes

Despite its biblically sourced plot, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat never mentions God. Even the song “Close Every Door,” which encourages faith and hope and alludes to the Abrahamic Covenant, does not explicitly mention the Lord. The aim of the musical, according to the opening song, “Prologue,” is “to tell the tale of a dreamer like you.” The focus of the material is Joseph and his dreams and aspirations. The suggestion is that, because Joseph’s dreams came true, ours can, too.

Rather than deal with the religious themes inherent in the story of Joseph, the musical presents the inspirational idea of dreams come true: “We all dream a lot— / Some are lucky, some are not— / But if you think it, want it, dream it, / Then it’s real / You are what you feel” (from “Prologue”). As stirring and emotive as these lines may be, there’s nothing biblical about them.

Also, Joseph does not flee from Potiphar’s wife when she tempts him to have sex with her. Scripture says that, when Potiphar’s wife took hold of him, Joseph “left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house” (Genesis 39:12). In the musical’s reinterpretation, Potiphar’s wife removes Joseph’s shirt, and he stays with her. Potiphar finds them together in a compromising position. The Bible relates how Joseph actively resisted the temptation, saying, “How . . . could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9), and he ultimately removed himself from the presence of the temptress. The musical depicts Joseph as passive in the face of her advances. Further, the scene departs from Scripture in that Potiphar’s wife does not seek revenge and lie about Joseph’s intentions (see Genesis 39:14–15).

Other Considerations

Although usually billed as a “family musical,” Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has several scenes with sexual overtones. These include the temptation of Joseph in the “Potiphar” scene and the Apache dance in “Those Canaan Days.”

Filmed productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat invariably feature inappropriate costuming. The servants who populate Potiphar’s house and Pharaoh’s court, for example, wear skin-tight and/or sheer costumes as they take part in highly sexualized choreography. Of course, depending on the director, various stage productions could tone down the carnality of those scenes.

As written, the characters of the Baker and Butler are not overtly homosexual, but a lyric in the song “Go, Go, Go, Joseph” says, “Both men were servants of Pharaoh the King / Both in the doghouse for doing their thing.” Based on that line, some productions suggest that the Baker and Butler were gay lovers.

Conclusion

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an undeniably entertaining show. It is creative to an exceeding degree, witty, and fast-paced. The eclectic pastiche of musical genres is surprising and fun. And it’s nice that a biblical story is being told. But, beyond the main events in Joseph’s life, we can’t say the musical is biblically accurate. Any reimagining of biblical content that omits references to God and trades theology for “inspiration” is more secular than biblical in the end.