THEATER REVIEW:Updated ‘Joseph’ rocks

Most local theatergoers have sat in on at least one production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” the first collaboration of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber as schoolboys nearly 40 years ago, but that’s hardly a reason to avoid the touring production at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

True, “Joseph” has been around the local block a few times. Its updated biblical tale about the title character’s ups and downs with his many-colored coat has been set upon by a number of community and collegiate theater groups ? and why not? It’s as close to a certified crowd pleaser as you’ll find in musical theater.

The recipe for success consists of a charismatic Joseph with a tremendous singing voice, a pair of show stealers in the key roles of the narrator and the Pharaoh and ? above all ? an outstanding ensemble under the aegis of a skilled choreographer. These the center’s production has in spades.

But “Joseph,” after all, is a director’s dream show. His or her concept can propel the production up a few extra notches, and Dallett Norris has taken full advantage of this prospect. The center’s version has Joseph’s father Jacob chatting on a cell phone and the Pharaoh using a laptop, not to mention a big price tag on the title garment. Then there are all these musical genres explored by the creators from cowboy to French to Calypso.

This entertainment value, combined with Arlene Phillips’ superb choreography selling the ensemble numbers, amplifies the Rice-Webber experiment that began life back in 1968 as a 15-minute school project. The basic biblical story remains, but it’s magnified to the point of outlandish, if often repetitive, satire.

Fitting as comfortably into the title role as he does into his rainbow cloak is Patrick Cassidy, a born-in-a-trunk singer-actor (his mother is Shirley Jones, who has a few credits of her own along with her Oscar). Cassidy struts his muscular body through a succession of shirtless sequences in a commanding and visually arresting performance, reaching his vocal peak in the agonizing “Close Every Door” number.

Setting the stage as the buffer between the show and a group of children gathered to watch it ? and, by extension, the audience ? is Amy Adams, of “American Idol” fame, as the narrator. Her infectious personality and strong singing voice illuminate her assignment.

By this time, most playgoers are aware that the Pharaoh turns out to be an ancient incarnation of Elvis Presley, so the surprise on his initial entrance is minimal. Still, Todd DuBail wrenches the most out of his characterization, thank you very much, in a dynamic if intentionally overdone depiction.

Nicholas F. Saverine’s weeping Jacob, father of the quarrelsome brood, has some good moments, while Ken Nelson shines as Reuben, one of his other 11 sons, who heads up the sparkling “One More Angel in Heaven” number. Kelly Stensland is particularly radiant as an Apache dancer in the French segment, “Those Canaan Days.”

For the show’s star, “Joseph” is a family affair. Wife Melissa Hurley Cassidy is a suitably sultry seductress and their two boys are featured in the children’s chorus (Patrick Cassidy lets the audience know, slyly, which two are his flesh and blood).

You’ve probably seen “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at least once before, but chances are you haven’t seen it the way it’s presented in the center’s touring production. This one rocks with flash, dazzle and satirical comedy to augment some superior singing voices.