STAGE REVIEW : An ‘Evening’ Made for Movie Buffs

Any evening that’s a tribute to somebody’s music and another somebody’s lyrics is bound to be bound by the limitations that imposes. “A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening,” at the Coast Playhouse, subtitled “The Lyrics of Harold Adamson, the Music of Jimmy McHugh,” is inevitably defined by the mostly movie music of McHugh and the lyrics of his frequent collaborator Adamson. And by one other thing: A determination to live up to this evening’s title, with emphasis on the word lovely .

The result is too much of a good thing. It’s the old bare stage, one piano and six talented performers routine. Movie buffs may not agree, but in this outing, the 46 featured songs--all of them familiar, if not all of them great--seem to create one endlessly coalescing effect: too much of a muchness.

There is humorous material (“Diga Diga Doo,” “Blame It on the Rhumba,” “Murder She Says,” “South American Way”), some healthy parody (Dan O’Grady embracing pictures of himself as he croons “Gee, but you’re wonderful . . . “ and an affectionate collective ribbing of the ‘50s in “Too Young to Go Steady”), but not nearly enough. Mood music predominates. The evening is steeped in ballads of one kind or another (“Can’t Get Out Of This Mood,” “I’m In the Mood For Love,” “Love Me As Though There Were No Tomorrow,” “Tomorrow Land,” etc.), without sufficient variation.

Part of the problem is a similar evenness in the performing ensemble. Dean Butler, Kaitlin Hopkins, Bill Hutton, Marguerite Lowell, Marti Muller and O’Grady are talented without standing out or being highly differentiated--except for Muller, whose red-haired good looks hint at a real potential for quirky comedy. But only just. This show is simply too well behaved for its own good.

Since it springs from the considerable inventory and imagination of director David Galligan, who three years ago at this theater delivered “Blame It On the Movies” editions I and II (also focused on movie music), “Lovely Way” suggests that it might be a separate if unequal edition III. Galligan does not lay claim to such a connection, but it seems inescapable, even though this writer did not see “Blame It On the Movies” I or II and is basing the supposition on written accounts of both shows.

Those accounts indicate, however, that the earlier revues were fuller affairs, with sets and costumes, greater presentational variety and an orchestra for support. “A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening” contents itself with an empty stage (except for the piano), unnecessarily shadowy lights by Kevin Mahan, six well-scrubbed faces and arranger/co-compiler John McDaniel at the keyboard.

There is nothing wrong with that, but it only goes so far. Coupled with the general sameness of the material (31 of the songs have music by McHugh, 26 have lyrics by Adamson) and the welcome absence of patter, one song follows another uneventfully.

Sprinkled among the Adamson-McHugh collaborations are various combinations with such other famous names as Frank Loesser, Hoagy Carmichael, Harry Warren, Jerome Kern, Vincent Youmans, Burton Lane, Sammy Fain, Walter Donaldson, Victor Young, Johnny Mercer and at least eight songs with lyrics by Dorothy Fields.

They are almost evenly plucked from the ‘20s, ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s, but unanimously hark back in spirit to times when life and relationships--and movies--were more joyous and simpler, and music came with a lilt. They are sweet, fond, hummable and nostalgic--factors this ensemble ably underscores. What the songs are not is distinctive enough--partly because we get them out of their movie context, partly because Adamson and McHugh were eminently capable craftsmen dedicated to the task at hand. It did not always require them to write a great song, but never less than a good one.

By show’s end, a decent time has been had, not a lot of which sticks with you after you hit the sidewalk. A lovely evening, yes. A memorable one, not really.

“A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening--The Lyrics of Harold Adamson, the Music of Jimmy McHugh,” Coast Playhouse, 8325 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. Thursday-Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 7 and 9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 3 and 7 p.m. Indefinitely. $20-$22.50; (213) 650-8507. Running time: 90 minutes.

‘A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening--The Lyrics of Harold Adamson, the Music of Jimmy McHugh’

Dean Butler, Kaitlin Hopkins, Bill Hutton, Marguerite Lowell, Marti Muller, Dan O’Grady Ensemble

A musical revue. Producers Franklin R. Levy and Gregory Harrison in association with Catalina Production Group, Ltd., Gretchen Adamson and Lucille Meyers. Director David Galligan. Lights Kevin Mahan. Scenic consultants Deborah Raymond and Dorian Vernacchio. Costume consultant Madeline Ann Kozlowski. Musical director John McDaniel. Choreography Kay Cole. Stage manager Evan Ensign.