It’s just too cute and too cuddly to resist

BAUBLES and gimmicks and glitz -- when it comes to over-the-top, bread-and-circuses spectacle, you can’t beat Andrew Lloyd Webber with a stick.

Although sometimes, you may want to. Considering that it is based on the final chapters of Genesis, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” composer Lloyd Webber’s early collaboration with lyricist Tim Rice, is a remarkably soulless enterprise that recycles the Biblical story of Joseph into a lavish musical as crowd-pleasing as a puppy at a preschool. The show climbs right up into your lap and begs to be adored.

No wonder, then, that “Joseph” has been so prolifically produced since its inception, more than 35 years ago, as a 20-minute “pop cantata” at a British school. Of course, that seminal effort garnered considerable buzz for the youthful Lloyd Webber and Rice, who subsequently fleshed out their mini-musical into a lucrative theatrical mainstay, the first of many for them both.

Now, a new national tour of “Joseph” arrives at the Pantages for a limited run. In many ways, it’s a stunning production, sumptuously mounted and consummately performed. In fact, if you can divorce yourself from the unsettling feeling that you are being blatantly manipulated, you are almost certain to have a swell time.

That goes double for younger audiences, who may well find this eye-catching, easily accessible story a seminal theatrical experience. When Joseph is sold into bondage by his scheming brothers, he’s dragged away to Egypt behind a life-sized stuffed camel -- just one of many production elements guaranteed to thrill a child.

Director Dallett Norris and his talented cast, spearheaded by Patrick Cassidy in the title role, don’t miss a bet in this big bag o’ tricks. Nor does choreographer Arlene Phillips, whose delightful dance sequences span the spectrum from country-western hoedown to French apache dance.

Granted, Cassidy -- son of Shirley Jones and the late Jack Cassidy, and brother to Shaun and David -- is a bit long in the tooth to portray the boyish Joseph, although his washboard abs nicely belie his age. But let’s face it, the role doesn’t require a slice-of-life Method approach, and Cassidy’s fine set of pipes and affable stage presence make him a Joseph to be reckoned with. And when Cassidy subtly introduces his own young sons, who perform in the show’s children’s chorus -- a group of able local kids from Millikan Performing Arts Magnet -- it’s an “awwww ... “ moment that makes the audience melt.

The family connections don’t stop there. Cassidy’s wife, Melissa Hurley Cassidy, gives a funny performance as Mrs. Potiphar, the determined seducer who lands Joseph in prison.

Those who have remained largely oblivious to the cultural phenomenon of “American Idol” may be left cold by the fact that Amy Adams, who makes her theatrical debut as the Narrator in this run, has been amply ballyhooed as an “Idol” finalist. For non-fans, that may seem a meager recommendation. Belay your apprehension. Confident and relaxed, Adams has a powerhouse voice that lends itself perfectly to musical theater, and blends nicely with Cassidy’s in their duets.

Nicholas F. Saverine is alternately grave and silly in his dual roles as Jacob and Mr. Potiphar. As the Elvis-cloned Pharaoh, Todd DuBail is a pelvis-grinding grandstander who stops the show in what is perhaps the most self-consciously show-stopping number in the Lloyd Webber-Rice oeuvre. DuBail doubles as Levi, one of Joseph’s brothers -- played by a crack ensemble that includes Ken Nelson, Ernest Marchain and Derek Ferguson. When this band of brothers belts out a song, their combined voices raise the Pantages’ beautifully restored rafters.

*

‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’

Where: Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood

When: 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays

Ends: July 2

Price: $25 to $68

Info: (213) 365-3500; www.BroadwayLA.org

Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes