STAGE REVIEW : ‘Club Indigo’: That’s Entertainment

A couple of big-time revues of Tin Pan Alley material are en route to the Pantages and Wilshire theaters. But for sheer entertainment value, it would be difficult for any such show to top “Club Indigo Revisited,” at Burbank’s little Golden Theatre.

As he did with the first “Club Indigo” last year, director and choreographer Gregory Scott Young crams a zillion song-and-dance numbers and a cast that seems like hundreds (but in fact numbers 17) onto his tiny stage.

The biggest difference is that this year’s cast includes some faces who were actually around in the period on display: the ‘30s and ‘40s. Former big-band singers Kay St. Germain and Harry Meyers and radio/nightclub performer Jacki Altier are on hand. Though Carol Woodbury’s credits (including the popular 1988-89 revue “Bittersuite”) are more contemporary, she also appears at least a generation older than the rest of the cast, most of whom look as if they’re in their 20s.

This older quartet provides a special resonance for this edition of “Indigo.” St. Germain begins the show as an old-timer stopping at a bar tended by Meyers; together they reminisce about what the joint used to be like.

Apparently, it was quite a dive, emceed by the raucous, red-wigged, bleary-eyed Woodbury. Altier watches from the sidelines as her younger self (Alicia Irving) stumbles into the club and becomes one of the star attractions.

Initially, it looks as if the older performers will serve merely as the remember-when frame for Jim Brochu’s book. But eventually all four of them strut their stuff along with the younger performers. They even get to say most of the evening’s snappy patter--and the women get a very funny drunk scene, as drunk scenes go.

Nevertheless, the book remains very loosely, even haphazardly organized. For example, sticklers may wonder why the World War II numbers precede the Depression numbers, instead of vice versa. But details like that don’t matter much here. You can ignore the book altogether, if you’d rather just concentrate on the song and dance. That’s where the heart of “Club Indigo” lies.

It’s amazing how much focused movement Young guides in his storefront space. He uses three levels plus stairs, so sight lines remain unobstructed despite all the hubbub. And Young directs our eyes precisely to the most important corners of the spectacle.

In a few of the dances, the spaces are so cramped that you wonder whether anyone will get hurt. There’s a lot of vigorous dancing atop a bar and in the thin space in front of it, almost in the laps of the front row audience members. As if to make fun of any such fears, however, Young stages a “Satin Doll” duet in which assistant choreographer Alison Fusco gets thrown around like a rag doll by her oblivious, preening partner Jim Graft. Fusco survives, and seems none the worse for wear.

The singing is as rich as the dancing. One of the brightest young stars here is Irving. Her initial “When the Sun Comes Out” is a heartbreaker; her “Dr. Long John” sizzles. Her sharply featured face is hard to forget.

Graft is certainly one of the most dapper crooners of his generation and also has a literally sidesplitting gender-switch number. Jeffrey Polk has a remarkable ability to move from twinkly high spirits to the ravages of “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”

Considering that musicians Tom Griffin, Marjorie Poe and Sam Wiley Jr. are backstage, the musical timing is remarkable. Nancy Parr’s costumes look surprisingly sumptuous. The whole show is reminiscent of one of those Mickey-and-Judy movies--they may pretend they’re putting on their show in a barn, but in fact the professionalism here transcends any barnyard that ever existed. It’s a shame, though, that none of the songwriters get any credit--not even the titles are listed in the program.

The older generation will eat “Club Indigo” up. Younger people should consider what they’ve missed by not having big bands or Cole Porter or even “The Ed Sullivan Show” in their lives--and act accordingly.

“Club Indigo Revisited,” Golden Theatre, 139 N. San Fernando Road, Burbank, Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 and 7 p.m. Ends March 22. $18. (818) 841-9921. Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes.