STAGE REVIEW : ‘Me and My Girl’: Fun Page From Past

“Me and My Girl” is such a big wiseacre of a show that it risks being dismissed, especially when next to something like the hugely successful “Les Miserables,” currently filling the Shubert Theatre in Century City with Sturm und Drang and tromping social relevance.

But “Me and My Girl” is a fun reminder that before musicals were really smart, they were really silly--just entertainment at a spirited song-and-dance level, maybe with some one-liners and physical pranking thrown in for added leavening. Not much thought but a lot of juice.

The traveling revival (it was at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood in January) of the 1937 Noel Gay, L. Arthur Rose and Douglas Furber musical that began a six-day run at the Orange County Performing Arts Center on Tuesday is certainly juicy. This is a kicky, can-do production of a goofy and unabashedly romantic show that has found surprising popularity in both its home country of England and America.

Sure, this theatrical whoopee cushion comes close to going too far (the creators and director Mike Ockrent never met a bad pun or a pratfall they didn’t like). Those with a more subtle humor palate may find the barrage of verbal card tricks tiresome, but even so, the overall style and energy are apt to make up for it.

A good deal of its winning ways are directly linked to Tim Curry, the animated, goggle-eyed actor who, in the role of Cockney parvenu Bill Snibson, makes his own way on the path set by Robert Lindsay. Lindsay, remember, was the on-stage force behind the original London revival and eventually won a Tony Award for his portrayal, one of three gathered by “Me and My Girl” last year.

Curry is no second-fiddle replacement, though. The role presents a trove of opportunities for comic showing-off--the illegitimate, penurious Snibson learns he’s actually a legitimate, wealthy earl and now must adapt while keeping himself, and his girl, intact--and Curry exploits them resourcefully. Whether leading the charge through the giddy “Lambeth Walk” (where a gaggle of bluebloods are taught how to walk “Cockney style”) or skipping through a cross-eyed history lesson with his sweetheart (Donna Bullock), he has footloose, wry charm.

Curry gets fine support from the witty Bullock, an actress who seems as comfortable playing a squealing, barely washed commoner as the elegant lady she transforms herself into (a la Eliza Doolittle) in the musical’s final frames.

There really aren’t any weak spots here. Susan Cella as the manipulative and sexy Lady Jacquie (she’s eager for Bill’s money, but it seems all she really wants is a good spanking), Lenka Peterson as the Iron Maiden of a duchess, Barrie Ingham as her henpecked husband and David Cromwell as Lady Jacquie’s simpering suitor are all effective.

“Me and My Girl’s” look is also top-drawer. Martin Johns’ bright sets never scrimp on details, and Ann Curtis’ colorful and impeccable costumes and Chris Ellis’ and Roger Morgan’s lighting help to clarify the simple scenes and add a sensuousness to the few truly evocative moments, such as the fog-draped dream-dance between Curry and Bullock.

“ME AND MY GIRL”

Book and lyrics by L. Arthur Rose and Douglas Furber. Music by Noel Gay. Book revised by Stephen Fry. Directed by Mike Ockrent. With Tim Curry, Susan Cella, David Cromwell, Cleve Asbury, John Salvatore, Roger Preston Smith, Erick Devine, Louis S. Crume, Lenka Peterson, Barrie Ingham, Keith Perry, Donna Bullock, Gregg Kirsopp, Melody Jones, Lou Williford, Mary Stout, Peter J. Saputo, Jamie Torcellini and Michael Hayward-Jones. Sets by Martin Jones. Costumes by Ann Curtis. Lighting by Roger Morgan and Chris Ellis. Sound design by Tom Morse. Musical direction by Robert Fisher. Plays tonight through Sunday at 8 p.m. with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Tickets: $16 to $36. (714) 556-2787.