THEATER REVIEW : An Energetic ‘Sayonara’ : The tuneful new musical based on the Michener book has an eagerness to entertain. It’s at a cheerfully refurbished Alex Theatre.

It would be unfair to call “Sayonara” an old-fashioned musical. True, this is theway they used to write them during Broadway’s Golden Age, a “book” musical with a bittersweet romantic story that isn’t afraid to serve up a healthy number of laughs between the tears. What isn’t old-fashioned at all in the current production at Glendale’s newly refurbished Alex Theatre is the show’s unabashed eagerness to entertain.

Based on James A. Michener’s novel (not on the Brando film), the story is familiar enough. Maj. Lloyd (Ace) Gruver is stationed in occupied Japan in 1952 and begins to find that his white-bread background is experiencing seismic quivers as his fellow conquering heroes discover the charms of the local women.

His friend Pvt. Joe Kelly is marrying his adoring Katsumi, and another pal, Capt. Mike Bailey, is almost as involved with Fumiko, an actress with the Takarazuka Theatre, where the shows are blatantly Westernized. It is Fumiko who introduces Gruver to the Number One Takarazuka Girl, Hana-Ogi, and sets the stage for the emotional turmoil that changes Gruver’s life, and his heart. William Luce’s book is about as honest as it can be in taking Michener’s clues about the American racism in Japan at the time. Gruver’s prospective father-in-law, the commanding officer, Gen. Webster, might be bent to sympathy if it weren’t for the out-and-out bigotry of his wife, but his thinking is too close to hers, and regulations are on her side.

The heaviness of the plot is leavened with a tuneful score, with music by George Fischoff and lyrics by Hy Gilbert. If there is no memorably soaring ballad to hum on the way out, the romantic melodies have not only a flavor of the time but a sense of character and of the frustrations of the various star-crossed lovers. And the brightness of some of the character songs, particularly Kelly’s exuberant “One Jump Ahead,” gives the show contagious energy.

The present incarnation of “Sayonara” (an earlier form was seen at New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse in 1987) began last year at Houston’s Theatre Under the Stars, with the same Gruver and Hana-Ogi who give this production some of its best moments. Joseph Mahowald’s commanding Maj. Gruver evolves imperceptibly from his slight starchiness at the beginning to the vulnerable warmth of his final moments with Hana-Ogi before they part. His rich baritone is perfectly matched to the gentle machismo of his songs.

The many sides of Hana-Ogi, from Takarazuka male-impersonator to pliant but cautious lover, are treated like the shifting colors in a kaleidoscope in Sala Iwamatsu’s performance--now brash, now controlled. Director Philip Wm. McKinley has been with the show since its inception, and the cinematic flow of his staging never pauses. He knows when to bring it down to a walk, and when to let it run. It runs with an invigorating athleticism in the choreography by Tony Stevens, from jitterbugging servicemen to the Americanized revue material of the Takarazuka Girls, and Steven Smith’s musical direction is bright and at times lilting.

Michael O’Steen is a buoyant and ingratiating Kelly, and the rough edge of Robert Patteri’s Bailey is just right. Ako as Kelly’s Katsumi and JoAnn M. Hunter as Bailey’s Fumiko perfectly balance the energy of their G.I. Joes with charm and unpretentious humor. Tom Urich and Judith McCauley have the proper flavor of complacent bigotry as the Websters, and Frances Epsen is quietly elegant as their understanding daughter, whom Gruver deserts for this true love.

Loren Sherman’s sets are lush when required, as are Jonathan Bixby’s colorful costumes, and Kirk Bookman’s lighting makes it all glow like musicals used to. The sound design of Francois Bergeron and Johnathan Deans sometimes allows the ensemble singing to muddle into unintelligibility and isn’t too flattering to some of the female voices but treats the male voices with respect.

The refurbished Alex might also have a few solvable acoustical problems at the moment, but its face-lift is cheerful and comfortable, the sight lines are fine, and it seems the perfect home for the splashy entertainments it’s designed to house.

* “Sayonara,” Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Ave., Glendale. Wednesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends Feb. 13. $10-$50. (800) 883-PLAY. Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes.

Joseph Mahowald: Maj. Lloyd (Ace) Gruver

Sala Iwamatsu: Hana-Ogi

Michael O’Steen: Pvt. Joe Kelly

Ako: Katsumi

JoAnn M. Hunter: Fumiko

Robert Patteri: Capt. Mike Bailey

Tom Urich: Gen. Mark Webster

Judith McCauley: Miriam Webster

Frances Epsen: Eileen Webster

A Theatre Corp. of America production, in association with Pasadena Playhouse Presentations Inc., produced by Martin Wiviott. Book by William Luce, adapted from James Michener’s novel. Music by George Fischoff. Lyrics by Hy Gilbert. Directed by Philip Wm. McKinley. Choreographed by Tony Stevens. Sets by Loren Sherman. Costumes by Jonathan Bixby. Lights by Kirk Bookman. Sound by Francois Bergeron and Johnathan Deans.