THEATER REVIEW / ‘A CUP OF COFFEE’ : A Rich, Tasty Brew : Pasadena Playhouse’s cast and crew serve up a first-rate, fully staged performance of the Preston Sturges play.

Does a man’s value lie in his inherent worth or in the stature accorded him by others? For Jimmy MacDonald, the young coffee salesman with grand ambitions in Preston Sturges’ comic play, “A Cup of Coffee,” the answer could affect his self-respect, his career and even his possible marriage to the woman he loves.

In its light, funny, charming and thoroughly entertaining way, Sturges’ play posed the question back in 1940, but the script languished nearly 50 years until its first production off Broadway in 1988.

The flawlessly executed production we find here is the first fully staged offering from the new partnership between the Lobero Theatre Foundation and the Pasadena Playhouse.

Ironically, “Coffee” was originally intended to premiere at the Pasadena Playhouse, a plan sidelined by the author’s success as a film director (a movie version of the play later appeared as “Christmas in July”).

Well, better late than never.

Handily overcoming some script limitations, it’s a show with heart that features a first-rate ensemble cast and Broadway-house production values.

Those qualities may be familiar to Ventura County residents who’ve made the trek down to the Pasadena Playhouse in the past.

But for others, it will come as a pleasant surprise to find this level of professionalism so close to home.

The strains of ‘30s jazz melodies invite us to take a little trip back in time to Sturges’ Depression-era antics, set in the offices of a down-at-the-heels coffee company.

Since learning he’s won prize money in a slogan-writing contest for a rival company, Jimmy MacDonald feels he can turn things around for Baxter Brothers with a new marketing campaign.

A bouncy, fast-talking youth with limitless confidence in his own abilities, Jimmy is played with all the right shades of openness, naivete and quick-witted energy by Michael Heintzman, who pioneered the role in its off-Broadway world premiere.

He’s at his best when carried away by his own imagination, as in the brilliantly timed scene where he tries to explain his unfathomable winning slogan to his office-stenographer sweetheart, Tulip (Angie Phillips).

But Jimmy’s self-assurance--not to mention his new promotion to marketing director--is in jeopardy when the award turns out to be a mistake.

In his moment of crisis, the central question is whether his employers truly value him, and not because of the outside recognition he has received.

It’s an issue that harkens back to a time when personal ethics were viable elements in comedy. Where today, Steve Martin or Danny DeVito would probably scam their way through the plot by trying to keep their bosses from finding out about the error, Sturges has Jimmy reveal the truth up front and wrestle with the consequences.

Loyal Tulip may have no doubts about Jimmy’s ability.

But the Baxter Brothers--craven Bloodgood (Raye Birk) and acquiescent Oliver (David Cromwell)--are all too willing to let their opinion of Jimmy be swayed by the outward trappings of success.

The script isn’t the perfect jewel we might expect from Sturges’ sophisticated wit. Some of the jokes are dated and the initial action rarely percolates in Sturges’ gradual set-up. Some scenes in the first act are especially decaf.

But Sturges’ character-driven structure affords ample opportunity for performances that transform the ludicrous plot into a thoroughly engaging period study. By the end, we’re delighted with this cast, without exception.

Each of the principals gets an opportunity to shine.

Cromwell’s futile hand-waving attempts at peacemaking and Birk’s jaw-clenched intractability are some of the meticulous details that make the Baxter Brothers believably human.

Phillips’ Angie has a magnificent moment supplying the face-saving truce between Jimmy and Bloodgood.

Robert Cornwaithe presides over the fray with cantankerous glee as Ephraim Baxter, the narcoleptic family patriarch.

Even the supporting characters--George Ede as the ruddy Scottish office manager and Willie C. Carpenter as Ephraim’s valet--are well-rounded portrayals.

Larry Carpenter, who directed the original New York production, has brought the lovable and nostalgic world of Preston Sturges to life with affection and clear vision.

After an initial six-week run in Pasadena and another three weeks in the San Diego area, the production has the pacing and unbroken focus of well-traveled territory.

So we’re lucky enough to savor a fully mature “Cup of Coffee” that, without doubt, is good to the last drop.

* WHERE AND WHEN

Performed through Oct. 11, Tuesdays through Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 5 and 9 p.m., and Sundays at 2 and 7 p.m. at the Lobero Theatre, 33 Canon Perdido St. in Santa Barbara. Tickets are $31.50. Call (800) 883-7529 for reservations or further information.