‘DAMES AT SEA’ AT UCI IS A CHARMING MOVIE SPOOF

First, the good news. “Dames at Sea” at UC Irvine is a charmer, one of those rare and refreshing instances where everything clicks. This spoof of ‘30s film musicals, written by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller, with music by Jim Wise, is told with a wink and a blush as it tap dances through the tale of the Big Broadway Star who falls ill at the last minute, only to be replaced by the Eager Ingenue, just off the bus from the Midwest, who taps her way to instant stardom and into the heart of the Handsome Young Songwriter.

If it all sounds familiar, it’s supposed to, and UCI’s Music Theatre Workshop capitalizes on that familiarity with an affectionate production that captures the innocence of the genre without patronizing it. One reason it works so well is that director Clayton Garrison has kept the scale small; the campus Little Theatre is an appropriately intimate setting, and the bare backdrops and minimal props let memories of movie musicals fill in the background details. Garrison also contributes the nostalgic choreography, which recalls the thundering production numbers of those cinematic odes to tap, but with a cast of only 16.

And that collegiate cast makes it all look effortless, as befits fantasy. Beth Ellen Ivens is wickedly wonderful as the overbearing prima donna, teaming up with Ken Jensen for a show-stopping beguine as they sing the lusty glories of Pensacola (yes, that Pensacola). Todd Lindamood has a naive, boy-next-door appeal as the headstrong young songwriter, Dick, neatly matched by a wistful Patrice Whitten as the tapping ingenue, Ruby. Their dewy-eyed love songs are as innocent as the era itself--at least, as it was portrayed on the silver screen.

Carrie Madsen underscores the spirit of the show with her terrific, tough-tender portrayal of good-hearted Joan, who befriends Ruby upon her arrival in the big city. Madsen’s romantic foil is Nick Johnson, who makes a likable Lucky, the tap-dancing sailor with marriage on his mind. Their duet, “Choo-Choo Honeymoon,” is sheer corn and utterly delightful. Dennis Castellano’s first-rate musical direction and the fine work of the three-piece orchestra add immeasurably to the crisp, energetic tone of the show.

And now the bad news. All remaining performances of “Dames at Sea” are sold out. It plays through Saturday in the Fine Arts Little Theatre of the Humanities Building on the UCI campus, Bridge Road and Mesa Drive, Irvine. For information, call (714) 856-6616.