THEATER REVIEW : BABY BOOM ILL-SERVED BY MUSICAL

In the beginning there were diapers. Then came slinkys, schools and rock and roll. One can almost chart the progress of the post-World War II baby boom generation through society--like an egg passing through the body of a snake--by noting the changing flurry of activities spawned to cater to this 76-million-strong generation on each leg of its journey.

Now that the Boomers are pushing their 30s and 40s and have moved from hippiedom to yuppiedom, and now that they not only eat California cuisine but are showing an interest in going to the theater afterward, it seems inevitable that they would have a show written expressly for them.

And here (sigh) it is, clamoring for its turn to cash in on the phenomenon. Called “The Wonder Years: The Baby Boom Musical,” and playing at the Gaslamp Quarter Theater Company through Oct. 3, it is a shallow and uneven, albeit occasionally perky and clever, romp through the Boomers’ memory lane.

When it comes to tapping nostalgia, the show is shameless and at its most successful. Let’s face it: what person who has lived through “I Love Lucy,” love beads, hula hoops and doing the Monkey doesn’t want to relive the madness?

The production falters when it tries for depth between the giggles. Based on an idea by Leslie Eberhard and written by David Levy, Steve Liebman, David Holdgrieve and Terry LaBolt, part of the problem may be writing by committee. The show offers one intriguing personality, Carol (Kate Kiley) as the dissatisfied, successful corporate lawyer Baby Boomer with two failed marriages. But the show can’t explain her, then dilutes her with five other single-note characterizations. Despite the spirited and talented efforts of the cast, none of these others even comes close to passing for an actual person.

Perhaps if the writers had taken a cue from “A Chorus Line” and brought real stories to life, we might have had something to sing about. Speaking of singing, memorable music would have been another plus.

The most telling image here is provided by Robert Earl’s set: a giant TV frame centered like a shrine from which media personalities like Dr. Spock, the original baby doc, emerge at the panicky parent’s call.

Against this backdrop, in a series of skits and songs, the Boomers segue from crying in the cradle to the beehive ‘50s, the flower-laden ‘60s, the business-minded ‘70s and the amorphous (at least in this show) ‘80s. Over each individual all-purpose outfit, Diane Holly’s subtle and deftly comic costume changes nicely navigate the passage of time with a pinafore here, a blazer there, headbands and swaths of material that suggest prom dresses for the ‘50s and tie-dyed shirts, medallions and long-haired wigs for the ‘60s.

Matthew Cubitto’s lighting directs the transitions with quiet effectiveness.

The text doesn’t give the actors a lot to say, but director James A. Strait makes sure that what there is comes across with energy and verve. But no amount of charm can disguise the fact that we know nothing about Lynnie (Pamela S. Tomassetti) except that she hated to read and grew up to be a dental hygienist. Or Patti, except that she came from a Catholic family and became a wife and expectant mother. Or Scott (J.D. Burns), except that he comes out of the closet. Throw in the lawyer and the hippie turned yuppie and that’s about as close to covering the spectrum as these white middle-class subjects get.

The singing is generally strong--with a few shaky moments. The women have the best numbers with Tomassetti sweet in her ode to “The Monarch Notes,” which got her through school, and Tomassetti, Libby and Kiley sparkling in their homage to the dances of the ‘50s and ‘60s, “Teach Me How to Fast Dance” and “Skippy A-Go-Go,” both further spruced up by Dee Ann Johnston’s imaginative choreography.

The accompaniment by Denise Pociunas on keyboards and Will Parsons on percussion is generally well done, but it muffles Kiley’s rendition of the bittersweet and touching “The Girl Most Likely” with excessive volume.

This song, about a girl who succeeds at everything except liking herself, is genuinely touching and hints at an internal journey that may have motivated the external journey of some Baby Boomers. A flicker like this, nurtured, might have flamed into a show. Instead, what we are given is the light of six little fireflies. Pretty at times, yes--but they don’t provide nearly enough illumination to read this complex generation by. “THE WONDER YEARS: THE BABY BOOM MUSICAL”

Book and lyrics by David Levy. Book by David Levy, Steve Liebman, David Holdgrieve and Terry LaBolt based on an idea by Leslie Eberhard. Director is James A. Strait. Musical arrangements by Terry LaBolt. Musical direction by Heidi Lynn. Choreography by Dee Ann Johnston. Settings by Robert Earl. Lighting by Matthew Cubitto. Sound by John Hauser. Costumes by Dianne Holly. Stage manager is Elizabeth Stephens. With Philip Charles Sneed , Kate Kiley, J.D. Burns, Pamela S. Tomassetti, Linda Libby and Richard Irving. At 8 p.m. Wednesday--Saturday with Sunday matinees at 2 through Oct. 3. At the Gaslamp Quarter Theatre, 547 4th Ave., San Diego.