Mirvish to announce Pre-Broadway JOSEPH… DREAMCOAT this week?

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 9/18/22 at 11:35am

This was reported last month, but nothing was made official. But this morning, they hinted on social media that there is an upcoming “Amazing” announcement this week.

 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 9/18/22 at 12:07pm

Curious to see if they'll have a name for this pre-Broadway tryout or if they'll wait to get a name for the Broadway run.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 9/18/22 at 12:29pm

ACL2006 said: "Curious to see if they'll have a name for this pre-Broadway tryout or if they'll wait to get a name for the Broadway run."

Why do we think there would be a name? The recent West End production had zero names in it. ALW & co. might want to "let the show be the star."

I was going to suggest that Broadway is basically a loss-leader for a tour for a title like this, but the last tour (dir/chor Andy Blankenbuehler with Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo) only closed in 2015.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 9/18/22 at 12:35pm

Just don't see this selling on Broadway without a name.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 9/18/22 at 12:37pm

Honestly, this is a show everyone should fan-cast Kelly Clarkson in. I would love for Jessica Vosk to do this, though.

Updated On: 9/18/22 at 12:37 PM

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 9/18/22 at 1:20pm

^I would love to see a scenario where Clarkson performs 6 performances and Vosk does the other 2. Similar to the Bette Midler/Donna Murphy situation. I just can’t see how Kelly Clarkson would be able to get time off from her daytime show to do a long broadway run.

[theatreguy]

Posted: 9/18/22 at 1:24pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "ACL2006 said: "Curious to see if they'll have a name for this pre-Broadway tryout or if they'll wait to get a name for the Broadway run."

Why do we think there would be a name? The recent West End production had zero names in it. ALW & co. might want to "let the show be the star."

They may not be well known in the US but Sheridan Smith, Alexandra Burke, and Jason Donovan are absolutely "names" in the UK.

 

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 9/18/22 at 7:53pm

Could they cast Joseph with a name? I feel like someone in the Shawn Mendes/Nick Jonas world would make a lot of sense and bring in audiences.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 9/18/22 at 8:31pm

Brave Sir Robin2 said: "Could they cast Joseph with a name? I feel like someone in the Shawn Mendes/Nick Jonas world would make a lot of sense and bring in audiences."

Shawn Mendes can’t even finish a tour. He’d never handle 8 shows a week. Nick Jonas can’t sing live 8 shows a week. He mimes in concert and sings into a mic that cleans up his voice. 
 

 

[Anthony Sunday]

Posted: 9/20/22 at 9:35pm

Brave Sir Robin2 said: "Could they cast Joseph with a name? I feel like someone in the Shawn Mendes/Nick Jonas world would make a lot of sense and bring in audiences."

He's nowhere near a "name," but David Archuleta just finished playing Joseph at Tuacahn. Could be an interesting marketing narrative with another Idol alum as the Narrator. Didn't someone propose Kelly?

Updated On: 9/20/22 at 09:35 PM

[pmensky]

Posted: 9/20/22 at 10:26pm

Joseph seems like the type of role that would be filled by someone who’s been around for a minute rather than the pop star of the moment. I think the target audience is parents in their thirties and up who want something family friendly and name recognition with the actor. I can’t imagine anyone in his 20s who is really hot at the moment pausing their career to commit to playing this role.

[BETTY22]

Posted: 9/21/22 at 10:07am

In the UK this show is such a part of the cultural fabric. Every school does it. It's like Pippin in the USA.

This is why it can sell very well without a huge star playing Joseph. I'm not sure that will be the case on Broadway.

[Tag]

Posted: 9/21/22 at 10:27am

Linzi Hateley and Jac Yarrow will star in the Toronto run.

Updated On: 9/21/22 at 10:27 AM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 9/21/22 at 10:31am

JOSEPH is an infinitely bigger title in the United States than PIPPIN. One is accessible and done by every high school/community/stock group every 10 years. The other is an esoteric Fosse show.

[pmensky]

Posted: 9/21/22 at 2:43pm

I’ve seen bootlegs of this production, and Linzi is not singing this the way she used to, and that’s no compliment. I had to Google Jac Yarrow. I guess these two would be fine for Toronto, but no bueno for Broadway.

[Lot666]

Posted: 9/21/22 at 3:12pm

I'd like to see Sierra Boggess as the narrator.

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 9/21/22 at 3:22pm

Id love for it to have the success it had in the 90s with Donny.  As much as I think it needs a Shawn Mendes or Jonas or Niall horan. I also agree they couldn’t do 8 shows.  I think Kelly Clarkson would make a great narrator though.  I’d love to see Donny as the pharaoh and say Austin butler or TImothee Chalamet as Joseph 

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 9/21/22 at 3:53pm

pmensky said: "I’ve seen bootlegs of this production, and Linzi is not singing this the way she used to, and that’s no compliment. I had to Google Jac Yarrow. I guess these two would be fine for Toronto, but no bueno for Broadway."

The people of Toronto thank you for your support.

[Tag]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 1:29am

Linzi Hateley has disappeared from the Toronto website, so I assume she won't be reprising her role, as had been announced.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 3:22am

Bummer about Linzi. In her defense she wasn’t singing in her original keys but none of the narrators did in this production. The orchestrations, vocal and dance arrangements for this production are new. They’re not reusing the 90s orchestrations.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 5:51am

I've seen far more schools mount Pippin over Joseph...but that still doesn't amount to many productions of either. In ghe northeast, schools won't often tackle a shows with religious themes.  I dont think that the high school i teach/direct at has done either show. EVER. And I can go back more than 30 years of history. (Had planned to do Pippin but covid changed that )

[inception]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 8:46am

Watched the teaser trailer.  It looks pretty plain after seeing the Tuacahn production, which was like Barbie & Ken on meth

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 8:47am

There's been a theater in NJ that does this show every December. I believe they're up to their 25th year and are returning the show after a two hiatus (COVID).

[forfivemoreminutes]

Posted: 12/31/22 at 7:27pm

Has anyone else seen this in Toronto? I saw it today and thought it was very campy, which I suppose is due in large part to the source material. My nine-year-old sister liked it, as did my teenage cousins. I was impressed by the choreography and by Vanessa Fisher as the narrator, and I thought having a little kid playing Potiphar was hilarious, but the show felt in some ways more like panto than like a Broadway-level musical. And again with the original source material, a story about a young man being sold into slavery, sexually assaulted, imprisoned for his sexual assault, and then rescued because of his skill interpreting dreams seems like a weird choice for such a joyous, over the top show, but I also understand the futility of applying 2022 social mores to a show that was written decades ago. Just a bit strange.

The sound design is also surprisingly poor for a Mirvish show, especially given that we're almost three weeks in now...they should have worked out these problems by now. It was very difficult to understand a lot of the lyrics, especially during Pharaoh's song, and my sister was covering her ears at some parts because it was too loud (and we weren't sitting anywhere near a speaker). I also wish they'd turned this into a one-act version of Joseph instead of using gimmicks to inflate the run-time (like multiple reprises, lots of extra-long dance breaks). The show finished in less than two hours with a twenty-minute intermission AND the longest megamix I have ever seen, running over eight minutes! There was no need for that megamix, and probably no need for an intermission either.

I don't regret seeing this (and I've seen Joseph before and enjoyed it moderately), but I really wonder what the likelihood of this actually going to Broadway is. If I'd paid Broadway prices (especially Broadway premium prices) for this, I probably would have felt pretty disappointed.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 12/31/22 at 7:41pm

I’d rather they record an album than spend the money to bring this to Broadway for a few months. I know there’s already a billion and a half Joseph cast albums but none of them have Jac Yarrow.