This version of Joseph is very much in embryo at 45 minutes and was first shown on television on Christmas Eve 1972. Most of the big numbers are present and correct - Close Every Door, Any Dream Will Do, Jacob and Sons, Go Go Joseph, Pharaoh's Song - and if the staging is a bit pedestrian and amateur (and the dancing is the last word in high camp) the music more than makes up for it.
Back when the production was first done the Narrator was male, as he is here (Peter Reeves, who has a pleasant voice and manner and is a pretty good mover). The brothers aren't quite as individually developed as they have been in revival productions, but Paul Brooke stands out because he wears a pink vest when everyone else is bare-chested and because he isn't quite as skinny as the others. It's a surprise too to see a young Ian Charleson in a very early role. He doesn't have any solo bits and is very much in the background, but is easily recognisable.
As for Joseph himself, those of you familiar with the CD cast recording of the London production of this musical will already know what a fantastic voice Gary Bond had. And he cuts a handsome figure here in his Sgt Pepper dreamcoat.
A really nice find, this, and happily exists in full in the archives. So if you're tiring of Donny Osmond and an overly aggressive Maria Friedman, this is the Joseph for you.
