History Theatre / JosephAndTheAmazingTechnicolorDreamcoat

* MediumAwareness: A few of the lyrics suggest that the characters know they are in a show. For example, the Prologue has the narrator say that she will tell the story of Joseph since the audience are there for a couple of hours. The lyric "We've read the book and you come out on top" also applies; some versions go on to reference the performance venue itself, saying, "We've been outside, and you're on the marquee."

** "Benjamin Calypso," a cheery pseudo-Jamaican song which comes just seconds after Benjamin is framed for theft.

* NeverTrustATitle: Though Joseph receiving his colored coat does set the plot in motion, it's not the source of his dreams nor his power to interpret them, as it's being called a "dreamcoat" in the title might have you believe. In fact, the coat is destroyed early on so Joseph doesn't even have it for most of the show.

* OrphanedEtymology: After Joseph talks about his dreams, the brothers declare that "the writing's on the wall." This is an expression derived from an episode in the book of Daniel, which takes place long after the events of the musical.

As a side note, this was the musical by which Donny Osmond, playing the titular Joseph, surpassed George Rose to take the World Record for Most Appearances as a Single Character in a Stage Production. Rose previously held the record for playing Major General Stanley in ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance'' over 5200 times on stage; Osmond surpassed this mark, and eventually would go on to play Joseph in over 7000 presentations of the show, including a filmed version.

** Joseph's Egyptian wife Asenath and two sons Ephraim and Manasseh are never mentioned in this retelling.

** In a way, Rachel, Leah, Bilhah and Zilpah. Rachel is referred to but never mentioned by name, and is presumably dead before the action starts, as the song "Joseph's Coat" heavily implies ("Joseph's mother, she was quite my favourite wife / Never really loved another all my life"). Meanwhile, Leah, another of Jacob's wives and the mother of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon and Dinah isn't even mentioned at all. Neither is Naphtali and Dan's mother Bilhah, nor Zilpah, the mother of Asher and Gad.

* AllKnowingSingingNarrator: When the show started out, it used to be interchangeably male or female, but later changed to female to make up for the disproportionate number of leading male characters in the show.

** When "Benjamin Calypso" starts, Joseph punches his own knee in exasperation.

* CanonForeigner: The Biblical Jacob had only two wives, Rachel[[note]] Mother of Benjamin and Joseph.[[/note]] and Leah[[note]] Mother of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.[[/note]] (and two concubines, the handmaidens Bilhah[[note]] Mother of Dan and Napthali.[[/note]] and Zilpah[[note]] Mother of Gad and Asher.[[/note]]). The musical has twelve wives to go with the twelve brothers, presumably so that there's a more robust female chorus. Although the brothers did all have wives; several of them were married with children when Joseph was sold, as he was the second youngest of them.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Benjamin and Reuben. In the Bible Benjamin is still fairly young when Joseph is sold as a slave and does not participate in the attack, throwing him in a pit, or selling him. Reuben is the one who convinces the rest of his brothers not to kill Joseph and only throw him in a pit, intending to return that night to rescue him. He also does not participate in selling Joseph and is angry when he discovers it. There are some productions where Benjamin objects to Joseph being sold and has to be held back by his brothers but Reuben is always portrayed (initially) as a villain.
** In Benjamin's case it even gets a bit weirder: The musical mentions that at least part of Jacob's favoritism was due to Joseph being the son of Rachel, his favorite wife. Although Benjamin was Joseph's full brother, and also the son of Rachel, it makes sense for the favoritism to affect him because [[DeathByChildbirth his birth was what killed Rachel]]. Some productions avert this by leaving Benjamin out of the kidnap scene and having him at Jacob's side during "One More Angel in Heaven".
* AdaptedOut: Joseph's Egyptian wife Asenath and two sons Ephraim and Manasseh are never mentioned in this retelling.

* CanonForeigner: The Biblical Jacob had only two wives, Rachel and Leah (and two concubines, the handmaidens Bilhah and Zilpah). The musical has twelve wives to go with the twelve brothers, presumably so that there's a more robust female chorus.
** Although the brothers did all have wives; several of them were married with children when Joseph was sold, as he was the second youngest of them.

* DoubleEntendre: Especially among high school productions, it's practically a contest to see who can make Joseph's dream about his brothers' small, green sheaves seem the most like a penis joke.

** And her servants/handmaidens? [[VaporWear Holy Flurking Sckint]]
*** Pharaoh's—later Joseph's—servants were even worse. Those women were wearing ''nets'' and had '''gold-embellished crotches.'''

--> It was red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet and black and ochre and peach and ruby and olive and violet and fawn and lilac and gold and chocolate and mauve and cream and crimson and silver and rose and azure and lemon and russet and gray and purple and white and pink and orange and blue.

* MoodWhiplash: "Benjamin Calypso," a cheery pseudo-Jamaican song which comes just seconds after Benjamin is framed for theft.
** Also in "One More Angel," where the brothers celebrate Joseph's "death" while their father's gone, then pretend to cry whenever he arrives.
** Also, the ensemble goes into the rousing chorus of "Go Go Go Joseph" just after the announcement of the Baker's death.

* OriginalCastPrecedent: The same person usually plays both Jacob and Potiphar, three of the brothers play the baker, butler, and Pharaoh, and sometimes Mrs. Potiphar will be played by one of the wives.

* BibleTimes

Really, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (abbreviated as Joseph...Dreamcoat, Dreamcoat, J&tATD, etc. etc.) is simply that: Creator/AndrewLloydWebber's BreakthroughHit, his first musical to be performed, with lyrics by his frequent collaborator Creator/TimRice, and based on the Biblical story of Joseph and his coat of many colors. It first released in the form of a ConceptAlbum in 1968, before making it to the stage in 1972.

* SungThroughMusical: Pretty much the only spoken line in the show is during "Song of the King," when Joseph tells Pharaoh, "I understood the one about the corn, but I couldn't quite get the one about the cows. So, could you give it to me one more time...[[BriefAccentImitation Mister Pharaoh Man...]]please?" Baring Mrs. Potiphar's cheeky remark of "Pitty".

* SungThroughMusical: Pretty much the only spoken line in the show is during "Song of the King," when Joseph tells Pharaoh, "I understood the one about the corn, but I couldn't quite get the one about the cows. So, could you give it to me one more time...[[BriefAccentImitation Mister Pharaoh Man...]]please?"

Really, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (abbreviated as Joseph...Dreamcoat, Dreamcoat, J&tATD, etc. etc.) is simply that: Creator/AndrewLloydWebber's BreakthroughHit, his first musical to be performed, with lyrics by his frequent collaborator Creator/TimRice, and based on the Biblical story of Joseph and his coat of many colors.