THEATER REVIEW : Conejo ‘Follies’ Not Same Old Song, Dance : The Sondheim musical may have fizzled on Broadway, but the local production spotlights the show’s strengths.

Not long after he decided to experiment with and develop the stagnant American musical comedy, Stephen Sondheim came up with “Follies.” The 522 performances in its 1971 Broadway stand didn’t make the producers any money, and attempts to revive “Follies” on Broadway and in London have also failed financially.

But “failure” is relative, and “Follies” is a fascinating experiment. And maybe the relatively low-key approach of the Conejo Players run, directed and choreographed by Kevin Calvin, emphasizes the show’s strengths more than a big-time production would.

The show takes place in the present--the 1971 present, that is, where the line “I don’t trust music under 30” would have been a topical joke, and funny. Impresario Dimitri Weissman is staging a last reunion of singers and dancers who have performed as his “Weissman Girls” through the years; soon, the theater will be razed and replaced by a parking lot.

Central to the show are two former chorus girls, Sally Durant and Phyllis Rogers. Roommates 30 years ago, they’ve retired from the stage, married and each has gone her own way. “Follies” combines the backstage story with a series of vintage-style production numbers. It’s not all pretty--this show is called “Follies” instead of “The Follies” for a reason. Passion between Sally and Phyllis’ husband, Benjamin Stone, is rekindled with bittersweet results.

James Goldman’s script at several points inserts “ghost” images of the principals acting simultaneously (although 30 years earlier than the onstage action). In practice, it’s less complicated than it sounds.

The most lasting legacy of “Follies” is the music: This is the score that produced “Losing My Mind” and the anthem-like, defiant “I’m Still Here.” (One song dropped from the score before Broadway--the double-entendre “Can That Boy Fox-Trot!”--has become a standard among chichi cabaret singers.)

Several of the production numbers are tributes to Broadway and movies of the 1920s through ‘40s; especially nice are a tap-dance extravaganza (choreographed by Tara Wilson) and the Busby Berkeley-styled “Loveland.”

Starring in this production are Mariane Dibblee and Linda Stiegler as Sally and Phyllis, with Jenna Leigh Greenberg and Sumner Lynn Baltzer as their younger selves. Scott Mansfield and Wade Powers are the old and young incarnations of Sally’s husband, Buddy, a traveling salesman with a roving eye. Ray Mastrovito and Tony A. Briant co-star as the old and young Benjamin Stone.

Gene Bernath is Dimitri Weissman, and Eleanor Brand, Julie Prikjatel, Cathleen Drury and Susan Robb are featured in solo numbers; LaVerne Kaufmann is fun as the sort-of French chorus girl Solange LaFitte.

Dave Pier conducts a large orchestra, replete with harp, bassoon and oboe, in addition to the usual brass, percussion and strings.

Details

* WHAT: “Follies.”

* WHEN: Thursday through Saturday nights at 8 and Sunday afternoons at 2:30, through May 7.

* WHERE: Conejo Players Theater, 351 S. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks.

* COST: $8 general admission Thursday, $10 Friday and Sunday, $12 Saturday.

* FYI: Note new evening curtain times and addition of Sunday matinees. Discounts are available for groups, children under 12 and senior citizens. Call 495-3715.