STAGE REVIEW : Satirical Travels With Dale Gonyea

Dale Gonyea, it says here, has been “described by the critics as a cross between Victor Borge, Dick Shawn and Robert Morse.”

In their younger years, presumably. Gonyea is only in his 30s, after all. Nor is he as fixed a talent as the above, although definitely a talent. He is still figuring out what he wants to do when he grows up.

What he does now, mostly, is sit at the piano and make musical fun of things. His current program at the Pasadena Playhouse’s Balcony Theatre includes well-placed tweaks at Jacques Brel for not being able to get off that one note, and at “Phantom of the Opera” for its sluggish chandelier, here shrunk to the size of a candelabra.

A wicked notion, but not lethal. Gonyea is not one of those satirists who don’t take prisoners. He looks as innocent as a curate entertaining at Hawaiian Night in the parish hall. Just listen to Father Tim tickle the ivories. You can tell he studied with the nuns.

Gonyea’s new show is called “An American in Pasadena.” At least that’s what he calls it when he’s playing Pasadena. Its theme is travel: places that Gonyea has visited, happily or not. He went to Russia, so he tells us about that. He went home to Michigan for a wedding, so we hear about that. (And get a sentimental song about the old family restaurant.)

Now and then a funny hat comes out of his suitcase, but not always. The show isn’t strong on consistency. Some numbers fit the theme, others don’t. The suitcase doesn’t so much say travel as it says trunk , the trunk where every songwriter puts aside material for a rainy day. This seems to be the day.

Gonyea’s piano work is fluent and crisp, much better than Father Tim’s. There’s a droll number about what goes through a pianist’s mind at a recital, and one notes that Gonyea’s pianism is indeed of recital quality. There’s a craftsman with standards here.

As a musical satirist, his standards aren’t so critical. He tends to accept every idea that comes to him, rather than screening it for originality and aptness of thought. The on-the-mark numbers outpoint the off-the-mark ones, but not by a wide-enough margin. “Times Square Squaredance” sounds like a number for some 1950s musical that the director threw out in Boston. And it’s not news that knock you up means something different in London.

Gonyea’s show fills up its 90 minutes pleasantly. At the same time, there’s the sense of a talent that can go in any number of different directions, and can’t quite decide which direction to take. “When you come to the fork in the road, don’t move until they give you a full place setting,” is one of Gonyea’s mottoes. Actually, you don’t get the place setting until you make your move.

At 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena. Plays Tuesday-Friday at 8:30 p.m., Saturday at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Closes Sunday. Tickets $22. (818) 356-PLAY.