MANY COLORS, BUT LITTLE DEPTH, IN `DREAMCOAT'.

Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic

You look at Patrick Cassidy, still golden of looks and voice, weaving effortlessly through the umpteenth touring incarnation of ``Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.'' You wonder why an actor of such obvious musical theater gifts (the man created the lead in a Steve Sondheim show, for pity's sake) isn't actually working on Broadway right now instead of recycling piffle.

Then, just before the curtain call, as Cassidy reprises the goopy ``Any Dream Will Do,'' you get the answer.

Make that answers. They're sitting, one to each side, downstage right and left, as part of the Millikan Middle School Choir.

You see, adorable, under-miked singing schoolchildren have been the signature of this revival since the late 1990s. A stunt cast celebrity (previously Deborah Gibson; this time, former ``American Idol'' hopeful Amy Adams) plays the narrator. The characters in this retelling of the biblical tale of Joseph are permitted to interact with the school kids. And interact Cassidy does.

The show is winding down, and Cassidy shares a tender moment with a boy. ``This one is mine,'' he mouths to the audience, in between lyrics. Then he's off to the other side, picking out another young man. ``This one's mine, too.'' Cassidy's sons are part of the cast as well, as is the boys' mom, Melissa Hurley Cassidy, a dancer, playing the sexpot Mrs. Potipher.

So it's a family affair in Lloyd Webber-ized old Egypt. And ``Joseph'' is a show -- despite its all-age friendliness -- that only a mother could love.

The costumes are loud, low-rent and tacky, the special effects not so special. The performers strain and mug for all they're worth, working Arlene Phillips' choreography with every bit of circus-y energy -- cheerleaders in the ancient world? -- that they can muster.

The show demands versatility. Andrew Lloyd Webber's score includes a twangy cowboy song, a World War I torch song, a calypso number, an Elvis ripoff and a street ``megamix'' as a finale. Yes, the young Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice demonstrated they could create pastiche. No, they didn't do it especially well.

In the midst of all this is Cassidy -- reprising the same role he played years ago in the ``Joseph'' tour. He can still hold the stage, even with a swirl of activity around him. He still makes wronged Joseph -- a cipher of a character -- charismatic. And he is still spending the bulk of the show's 105-minute running time shirtless.

Would that there were some reason -- beyond family ties and easy mindless entertainment -- that such an endeavor made sense.

Evan Henerson, [phone]

[e-mail]

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT - One and one half stars

Where: Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood.

When: 8 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday, 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday; through July 2. Also at the Orange County Performing Arts Center July 11-23.

Tickets: $25 to $68. [phone] or visit www.BroadwayLA.org

In a nutshell: Charmless and fluff-filled doings in ancient Egypt.

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It's a family affair in this Lloyd Webber-ized incarnation of old Egypt at the Pantages.