Despite its popularity and its hyped-up production values, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" continues to resonate close to its roots as a friendly school and church piece, loosely based on the Old Testament story of Joseph and his coat of many colors.

While it has remained popular with nonprofessional groups, the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical has also grown into something of a Las Vegas act that will sell plenty of tickets as long as it has a popular headline star — most recently Donny Osmond and Andy Gibb.

The current Army Community Theatre production directed by Vanita Rae Smith balances both those elements and reaches the right tone of a pop oratorio that works best when the chorus assumes a grand stage picture and sings full out. While choreographer Grace Bell Humerickhouse supplies a bit of dancing, the production most succeeds when the 40-member cast doesn't have to move.

When all 12 brothers, an equal number of wives, and a children's chorus all share the stage, more crowd control is definitely called for. And while the children's voices add a sweet dimension to the vocal sound, we wonder why this class of Sunday schoolers keeps showing up in the desert, marching up and down steps carved into the sand dunes.

The better approach would be to abandon all efforts at movement and let everybody just stand there and sing. Musical director and conductor Lorna Mount assures that they do that quite well. And they have a wide variety of forms to practice on.

The show is a conglomeration of musical styles including country, rock and calypso and its best single piece is a tongue-in-cheek French cabaret number. The men's chorus does excellent harmony on "Those Canaan Days," a mournful ballad of longing for the high life that preceded the famine years.

Ethan Okura takes on the central role and creates a likable and articulate Joseph, capturing an excellent character moment with "Close Every Door," sung from the depths of his imprisonment in Egypt. He also radiates a cheerful, puppy-dog innocence that gives a bright, bubble-gum flavor to what could otherwise be a ponderous epic tale.

Shawna Masuda provides continuity and shepherds the children's chorus as the Narrator but has unexpected audibility problems — causing us to strain to catch the lyrics in a way not necessary in her earlier performances in "Miss Saigon" or "Beauty and the Beast."

Keoki Kerr makes a cameo appearance as the Pharaoh — done up Elvis-style in a gold lame jumpsuit and descending a suicidal set of stairs in high-heeled boots.

Among the brothers, Will Layden takes the lead on the country song, "One More Angel in Heaven"; Jarad Pa'akaula gets the solo in the cabaret number, and Leonard Villanueva has focus on "Benjamin Calypso."

All in all, the best way to approach "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" is to not take it too seriously, since it's evident that Webber and Rice intended it to be in no way pretentious. Enjoy the comic elements, the vaudeville and even the day glow, earsplitting disco number "Go Go Joseph" that ends Act 1.

But amid all the glitz and fractured focus, be sure to enjoy the choral singing, because that's ultimately the truly artful part.