UNFLAGGING : Philip Oakley Makes a Noteworthy Music Man in Buena Park

It’s no secret that a beguiling Harold Hill can lift any production of “The Music Man” to respectability.

That’s pretty much the case at the Buena Park Civic Theatre, where Philip Oakley gives a likeably enthusiastic performance that does much to overcome a pokey handling of Meredith Willson’s popular score by the small band under Richard Schraier’s direction.

Oakley is unflagging in his efforts to keep our attention focused on Hill, as it should be. He embodies the spirited essence of Hill, the con man with a good heart buried somewhere under all that huckstering patter.

The thin, animated Oakley’s dancing may not be sensational but his energy and personality-rich baritone help make up for any lapses. His treatment of the signature “Seventy-Six Trombones” and “Trouble” are satisfyingly rousing.

As his romantic interest, Marian the librarian, Melissa Swift is a plucky counter-puncher, first suspicious of Hill and his slick ways but later softened by the good stuff that starts to peek out. There’s an amiable chemistry between these two that’s fun to watch.

Schraier, who’s also the artistic director, could have made the pacing more consistently bright (there are a few stodgy patches where the action is almost processional), but, more often than not, he scores points by tapping into the feel-good nature of “The Music Man.”

This open-air production is well served by the bold sets (a collaborative effort by Chris Affre, Doug Dawson, Dan Dobrick and Josh Cottrell) and Ruth Walp and Carol Young’s Popsicle-colored costumes.

What

“The Music Man.”

When

Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. through Sept. 1.

Where

Buena Park Civic Theatre, 8150 Knott Ave., Buena Park.

Whereabouts

Take the 91 Freeway to Knott Ave., head south past La Palma Ave. It’s on the left side of the street.

Wherewithal

Tickets are $5 to $8.

Where to call

(714) 821-1394.