JN Entertainment In 1968, Webber's cantata sprout- teen-ager," he says. "So I can play ed a 15-minute concert performance, the young role and be believable." In fact, the Bible story takes followed by more than two decades of increasingly embellished shows in Joseph from 16 to the ripe old age of London, Toronto and cities through- 40. "I'm not too far off from that, ei- out the United States. The official North American pre- ther," he laughs. This 25-year veteran of show biz miere took place on June 24, 1992, at Canada's historic Elgin Theatre. In is conversational, eager to talk and September of that same year, the pro- earnest. Unfortunately, he won't duction began an unprecedented run have much time to hang around Mo- of 11 1/2 weeks at the State Theatre town during downtime. Every week in Minneapolis, where it grossed $7.2 he travels home to visit his wife and four children in Utah. million. "Going home gives me some stabil- Alan Lichtenstein, director of ity in a business that's not very sta- theater operations for the Neder- lander Organization in Detroit, was ble," he says. "It brings me down to reality. When you're getting standing instrumental in bringing Joseph ovations each night, it can really start to the Masonic. (Livent is leasing doing some strange things to your the theater for the duration of the head." run.) In Chicago, Joseph became so pop- Lichtenstein expects crowds to fill the theater anywhere from 90 per- cent to capacity — faring as well or better than other Webber shows per- formed here in the past. On Nov. 15, Lichtenstein was on hand as the 13 trucks rolled in with the scenery. A larger than average amount of luggage? Yes, but after knocking out walls and deepening the stage to accommodate Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon, "we can do anything," he says. ular that Donny couldn't even get tick- ets for friends. A questionable mark of success, true, but the star takes it in stride. "The way I look at it, there are two parts of success," he reflects. "There is luck involved, but I think it's a very small percentage. Ninety-nine percent of success is opportunity meeting pre- paredness." (His Joseph audition must have been an exception.) As for dreams, technicolor and oth- erwise, Donny considers them key. "You never can stop dreaming," he says. It sounds half like a warning, half like a plea. "Because, if your aspirations die, your goals die, your self-esteem dies, your dreams die. You cannot have a goal without a dream." [11 onny shares that can-do atti _ tude. After falling from grace dur- ing the early 1980s, he spent a decade struggling to climb back onto the musical charts. A big rebound came with "Soldier of Love," but the rekindled star, now 37, credits Joseph with easing his way thereafter. "I think it was the show that gave me legitimacy as an adult performer instead of just a teen idol," he says. As for his lingering reputation as the fresh-faced younger brother of Marie, Donny thinks it actually helped him on the set of Joseph. "Lots of people still see me as a D Y A. :4:,:sf*f- How one Jeivish boy gained the trust of Pharaoh and inspired hundreds of artists. ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR ong before the age of infomercials touting the astonishing- abilities of psychics "gifted with wisdom from the ancients," there was a Jew- ish slave boy who understood dreams. His name was Joseph. Recounted in Gerzesis, the story of Joseph prob- ably has been the theme of more musical works, books and paintings than any other biblical nar- rative. In addition to Andrew Lloyd Webber, the artists who have tackled it include R,em.brandt, author Thomas Marin and composer Richard Strauss. The attention is understandable. Joseph led a remarkable life of adventure, intrigue and drama. He was the seventh and much beloved son of Joseph, born after his mother, Rachel, had been barren for seven years. The Bible tells nothing of his childhood, but discusses at length his ran- corous relationship with his brothers. No wonder: Joseph was quick to tell his father whenever one of his brothers got into trouble, and he had a num- ber of dreams in which he saw his brothers bow- ing before him. At one point the brothers conspire to kill Joseph. Reuben, hoping to save Joseph's life, instead con- vinces them to throw him into a pit. As they do so, the brothers also steal Joseph's beautiful multi- colored coat, a Oft from Jacob, which they take to their father as proof of Joseph's death. !Joseph, meanwhile, is sold into slavery to Potiphar, an aide to Pharaoh. But lie quickly gains the Egyptian's trust and is promoted to his per- sonal attendant. Joseph discovers that among his skills il- alesabfail __P7,11)Irsaeh'si:ag ity to interpret dreams,: ' .,, w ' :Ittps , at this task the iy 414* who foresees se '' ''''''e f. j en years o f deso pressed by Jooe L .... E .L , ''' ' Qse econd in comma. e5 rvA::,...•vkM;r" 4.1g,;:';mivr * .4z; • -v Opening Night Benefit For JARC In Southfield, the Jewish Associa- tion for Residential Care took an im- mediate interest in Joseph. JARC, which offers homes and living ser- vices to adults with developmental disabilities, is using the venue for its annual fund-raiser. The goal: $1 million-plus. "We're completely sold out," says Sandy Dembs, chair of the event. In all, 3,200 benefactors pur- chased tickets ranging in price from $50 to $2,500. A group of "angels" Who Was Joseph? — philanthropic individuals and businesses — have enabled all pro- ceeds to benefit the agency by un- derwriting costs for opening night. Proceeds help JARC adults live in- dependently. "When we found out the play was coming to town, we thought it would be very appropriate be- cause the subject matter is right up our alley," Ms. Dembs says. "Joseph and JARC are both about fulfilling your dreams." CI Opposite page: Donny Osmond as Joseph. This,page_ - Above: Joseph: Second-in- command to Pharaoh. Right: Pharaoh a la Elvis. never says, it Joseph Egypt is env brother come him. Joseph even invites his brothers for a meal, including 13enjamin, the youngest son of Jacob and Rachel. Later, Joseph reveals his true iden- tity to his brothers. With Pharaoh's as- sistance, Joseph gives expensive gifts to his family and brings them to Egypt, where they live well. Joseph dies at 110. lie is buried in Egypt, though he makes his brothers vow they eventually will bring his body to Eretz Yismei. to