STAGE REVIEW : ‘Sophisticated’ Valentine to Duke Ellington

“When you see the women, the purpose of the evening will be clear,” Harold Nicholas says with a wink. The thought is chivalrous, but the purpose of “Sophisticated Ladies” really is a valentine to Edward Kennedy Ellington. Listen to the band, Nicholas says, hear the music, the inimitable sound of Duke Ellington. His music was an era in itself and is the star of this Long Beach Civic Light Opera revival.

The co-star is the band, as it was in the original Broadway setting. Filling the stage as Ellington’s own orchestra did, the big band-oriented congregation led by musical director Steven Smith has a nice tight sound and is knowledgeable of the period, and several of his musicians stand out in solo work. Smith is in top form here.

The production is not without some flaws and moments that are too leisurely for their own good, but its re-creation of the world of Duke Ellington, more a toney vaudeville than a true musical, is sensitive and spirited.

Nicholas headlined, beside his brother Fayard, with Ellington at Harlem’s Cotton Club in the ‘30s. He gives the impression he’s getting together with an old friend for some laughs, some fine scat singing and, most of all, relaxing into big chunks of that special, eccentric tap dancing that made the Nicholas Brothers famous in clubs and films. His easygoing style pulls the evening together.

Under Jeff Calderon’s flashy, classy lighting design, an excellent company follows Nicholas’ lead. The only weak link, though he is lively and sounds right, is George Ratliff. Though he was with the 1983 national tour of “Sophisticated Ladies,” he just doesn’t blend into the Ellington aura, and appears to belong in another show.

Freda Payne, a simmering delight as the torch singer, sets fire to “In a Sentimental Mood” and the electric “Take the ‘A’ Train” (with Nicholas and a sharp sax solo by Jackie Kelso). Payne sang with Ellington early in her career and carries the memory in her silken voice, which glides easily into an entrancing growl for lyric punctuation.

Theresa Hayes, who dances as well as she sings (note “Solitude,” as she sinuously accompanies Payne’s sultry vocalizing), is pointedly striking in “Perdido” and in a duet that begins with Payne’s wonderful “I’ve Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good” and segues into Hayes’ “Mood Indigo.” With a vibrant voice like a skin stretched tightly on a drum head, Beth Bowles makes a bit of magic out of the electric “Hit Me With a Hot Note and Watch Me Bounce.”

Bobby Walker is a charming performer who easily captures attention in all his numbers, but the bonus of the evening is young Peter Merriweather. In addition to his stylish “Caravan,” with the company forming a silver Art Deco airplane behind him, he’s an exceptionally athletic and entertaining dancer and takes control of the stage whenever he’s on.

The production stands with a high head next to memories of the original, through the guidance of director-choreographer Bruce Heath, who was associate choreographer of the Tony Award-winning Broadway staging. His inventive stamp is on every movement.

At Terrace Theatre, Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, Wednesdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, 2 p.m., through Oct. 22. Tickets: $12-$18; (213) 432-7926, (213) 480-3232, (714) 826-9371, (714) 740-2000.