STAGE REVIEW : Funky, Ghostly Gathering at ‘Waterin’ Hole’

“Waterin’ Hole,” at the Tamarind Theatre, is a knee-slappin’ country-Western musical set in a Nashville bar where a ghost bangs out tunes on a piano.

The show, with book, music and lyrics by Gale Baker Shick, has verve. Vocally and lyrically, the evening is a funky theatrical homage to the sound of Nashville.

The book is a banal neighborhood saloon yarn where jealousy, insecurity, love and hate fill the air. The acting is undistinguished. Mercifully, a musical gleam brightens the room. You can hate country-Western and still admire the work here.

Backed only by that ghost of a pianist (Carl Danielsen) and a jaunty guitar picker (Jerry Hawkins), the eight-member cast alternately knocks out 23 songs, and you can hear all the words, which is a bonus in musical theater.

The strongest vocal is Kelly Britt’s “He Loved Patsy Cline.” Other numbers earmark the show’s flavor: “Mr. Bottle,” “Don’t Tell Me I’ve Got to Be a Cowgirl,” “Hambone, Hunks & Hotshots” and “Ain’t Gonna Turn You Loose.”

Floozie hairdresser Jodi Johnson (a Dolly Parton parody) best captures the twang of the piece. The unpeeling of musical numbers, interspersed by melodrama, does get repetitious. But there’s no slack. Director Glenn Casale’s spin is tight and he smartly stages the show without an intermission.

At 5919 Franklin Ave., Mondays through Wednesdays, 8 p.m., through Nov. 25. $15. (213) 466-1767.