THEATER REVIEW : Making Music in ‘Sweet & Hot’ Revue

A successful musical revue is often one that rediscovers a great talent. In 1978, “Ain’t Misbehavin’ ” brought the music of Thomas (Fats) Waller back to the public ear, just as “Eubie!” highlighted Eubie Blake. In 1981, “Sophisticated Ladies” did the same for Duke Ellington.

Now, “Sweet & Hot: The Songs of Harold Arlen”--in its West Coast premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse’s Mandell Weiss Theatre through Oct. 31--brings that sense of wonder to the writer of such classics as “Stormy Weather,” “Get Happy,” “It’s Only a Paper Moon” and “That Old Black Magic.”

Packed with three dozen songs performed by six dynamic, gloriously costumed performers backed by Danny Holgate’s superb 10-man on-stage band, “Sweet & Hot” is more than a trip down memory lane. It’s a musical journey through the blues, by the former Hyman Arluck (1905-1986), son of a cantor and a pianist, who wrote most of his standards for Broadway, Hollywood and the Cotton Club from 1929 through the 1950s.

Julianne Boyd conceived and directed this show with a sure touch. The new artistic director of the Berkshire Theatre Festival, Boyd conceived and directed the Tony-nominated “Eubie!” and co-created and directed the immensely popular “A . . . My Name Is Alice” revue.

Indeed, her only flaw is that she seems too in love with the “Sweet & Hot” material. Two hours and 10 minutes is long for a revue. And while Kenneth Foy’s sets and the costumes by Tony-nominated “Tommy” designer David C. Woolard are smashing, it’s a tad overproduced; the jewel-like songs might glitter more in a simpler, more intimate setting.

Still Boyd succeeds in the revue’s biggest challenge--holding songs together without dialogue--by weaving visual vignettes. The first act, subtitled “I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues,” takes place in a nightclub with the cast singing as customers, bartender, performers. The second act, “Let’s Fall in Love,” begins in a carnival where some numbers play as if sung between lovers.

The act concludes in an elegant ballroom with a beautifully harmonized “Over the Rainbow” that would make the Forever Plaid quartet envious.

Monica Pege is the stand-out performer. She has a big voice that allows her to triumph even with songs like “Stormy Weather,” so identified with Lena Horne and “Get Happy” and “The Man That Got Away”--two Judy Garland classics.

But each performer excels, Allen Hidalgo with his fine tenor, Terry Burrell with her crystalline tone and comic turns (a particular hoot as “Lydia, The Tattooed Lady”), the sensuous delivery of Jacquey Maltby, the mellow power of Brian Quinn and the strong anchor of Lance Roberts. Hope Clarke’s choreography gives each one--particularly the liquid-limbed Hidalgo--a chance to show off some sass.

Despite some opening-night glitches that left performer Roberts with insufficient miking for the second act, this is a show that radiates polish and pizazz. It’s a sweet and hot way to rediscover Arlen.

* “Sweet & Hot: The Songs of Harold Arlen,” La Jolla Playhouse, Mandell Weiss Theatre, La Jolla Village Drive and Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday matinees, 2 p.m. Ends Oct. 31. $28-$33. (619) 550-1010. Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes.