This would be an ideal first show for any 10-year-old, as it contains all the things that enchant the very young. The story is easy to follow, the cast decidedly attractive, the infectious Andrew Lloyd Webber score is good and loud, the dancing (Arlene Phillips) is hyperkinetic, James Fouchard's set is sparkly and fun, and Dallett Norris is not the sort of director to be cluttering up a kid-friendly show with anything approaching subtlety.
It's also very important, for full appreciation, that we have no idea how old Patrick Cassidy is or what he really looks like. That way, the initial appearance of the chiseled orange man with Meredith Baxter's former face will not provoke distress. Cassidy is impressive, both vocally and physically, but he's a grown man playing a male ingénue and working very, very hard to make those decades vanish. Norris has allowed his lead to push the boyishness to such a level that the performance becomes, at times, cartoonish. "Wow!" Cassidy silently mouths to the rafters midway through Pharaoh's Elvis-in-mascara number, and while my reaction to Todd DuBail's performance was similar — more, perhaps, due to the artfully abbreviated costume than the not-terribly-well-articulated singing — the "good golly!" aspect of the characterization gets a bit precious. To me. A child, however, would no doubt succumb to the musical theatre's ability to erase that line between 20-something and 40-something, so this observation is intended for the tetchier adults in the mix.
The production numbers are unfailingly spectacular and have a sort of 1980s sensibility; the female chorus is introduced vogueing in harem costumes, and "Go, Go, Go Joseph" is a riot of neon colors and workout wear. The neo-Gallic lament "Those Canaan Days" is marvelously sung by Joseph's brothers, with deliciously feminine counterpoint provided by Kelly Stensland's Apache Dancer. In spite of her magenta highlights, Amy Adams comes off as a remarkably maternal Narrator. Her voice is clear, but her presence is often secondary. The hometown touch so often lacking in national tours was lent during the Pantages engagement by Cassidy's identifying of his sons in the children's choir toward the end of the show — to the appreciative murmurs of the audience. His spouse, Melissa Hurley Cassidy, playing the sexually voracious Mrs. Potiphar, was not similarly claimed, however.
Presented by Nicholas Howey for Florin Entertainment LLC at the Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., L.A. Tue.-Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 2 & 8 p.m., Sun. 1 & 6:30 p.m. Jun. 20-Jul. 2. (213) 365-3500. www.broadwayla.org. Also at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Hall, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. Tue.-Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 2 & 8 p.m., Sun. 2 & 7:30 p.m. Jul. 11-23. (714) 556-2787. www.ocpac.com.