THEATER REVIEWS : A Pleasant Time Had ‘Backstage’ : Director Jeffrey D. Ault’s vigorous staging and the five-member cast’s energetic performances make for a rewarding show.

The Backstage Theatre’s Christmas card to its audience is just that: a Christmas card, with that much charm and that much depth.

*

Called “A Backstage Christmas,” it is a slender little musicale, with music by Richard Berent and lyrics by Douglass Braverman, and a book by them that has been altered slightly, by director Jeffrey D. Ault, to its theatrical setting and its threadlike plot about out-of-work New York actors as the holiday approaches.

There is nothing new in the show, musically, lyrically or otherwise. In fact, though the numbers all sound very much like carbon-copy Sondheim, the music is as eclectic as its sources, from white rap to black blues to Caribbean calypso to revue ballads.

The evening is pleasant, and that’s due to Ault’s vigorous staging on the multilevel greeting-card set, and to the energetic and gracious performances of the cast of five. They all sing well, and their ability to generally make something out of the slight material is rewarding.

They even make some of the songs more impressive than they actually are.

Tegan Powell, as Connie, who is afraid to take her black boyfriend home for the holiday, makes a strong impression in her simple, touching rendition of a song explaining the remembered beauty of Hanukkah, “One Single Candle.”

Adrian Muldrew, as her boyfriend Clay, also makes a strong impression in “Down-Home Kind of Christmas,” and in the show’s strongest number, the gospel-inspired “Mama Could Do It.”

Nancy Petersen is the show’s comic relief, for the most part. She staunchly tries to pull off a cute idea about a kid who never got past being “Second Camel From the Right” in Sunday-school holiday pageants. It could be the show’s big laugh-getter, but Petersen is restricted by the song’s aimless shape.

*

The authors repeat the same idea in the much-better-constructed “I Was a Christmas Angel.” This time it works in a gently bittersweet performance by Kathryn Luster, who also steals the show’s comic honors with her brash impertinence as free-and-easy, party-going Heather.

Although he’s not up to the others vocally, Theodore Schraff has a good sense of timing that is particularly suited to his puppy-dog approach to the role of Rick, a kid from the Midwest who’s just been evicted from his flat and has decided to go back home. His performance has its charming moments, just like the show itself.

What more can one expect from a simple Christmas card?

* “A Backstage Christmas,” Backstage Theatre, 1599 Superior Ave., Suite B2, Costa Mesa. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m., Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends Dec. 19. $12-$15. (714) 646-5887. Running time: 2 hours. Tegan Powell Connie

Adrian Muldrew: Clay

Kathryn Luster: Heather

Theodore Schraff: Rick

Nancy Petersen: Tanya

A Backstage Theatre and Company production of Richard Berent and Douglass Braverman’s musical. Directed by Jeffrey D. Ault. Musical direction: Richard Berent. Choreography: Ryan Kray, Kelley Tate. Set/lighting design: Illusion. Sound design: Yvonne Okamoto.