THEATER REVIEW : Fast-Paced Ride Through ‘City’ : Top-Notch Players and Stylish Direction Drive the Production at Irvine Barclay Theatre

Almost every intelligent writer who ever has struggled through a hitch in Hollywood has written a roman a clef about the humor and sadness he or she found there. Composer Cy Coleman, lyricist David Zippel and playwright Larry Gelbart call their sendup “City of Angels.”

It isn’t an easy show to pull off. Part of it involves a best-selling detective novelist, Stine, trapped in the quicksand of turning out his own screenplay. The other part is the film from that screenplay, played out as it is written. The real-life part is tinted with bright colors; the film is noir and white.

One of the problems for any theater without a Broadway budget is the many settings required by the show. In this snappy revival at the Irvine Barclay, scenic designer Sarah Sullivan overcomes that obstacle with clever, easily manipulated and rapidly shifting pop-up, slide-out and spin-around groups of mini-sets. The show has to move as fast as the films it is about, and this design allows director Eli Simon to keep the pacing at a high level.

Simon gets top-flight performances from his cast members, many of whom not only play characters in Stine’s real world but also double as the characters he has created for the film. Most prominent are Michael Holmes as Stine and Todd Denning as Stone, his fictional private eye. Each is ideally suited to his role and plays it to the hilt. And they sing the pants off the show’s best number, “You’re Nothing Without Me,” an argument over which comes first, the writer or his character.

David Anderson is as glib and smarmy as he should be as egoistic producer Buddy Fidler, and Laura Hartpence is a delight both as Fidler’s randy secretary and Stone’s secretary in the film, cashing in grandly with her schizophrenic, double-sided “You Can Always Count On Me,” a view shared by both characters.

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Some of the performers haven’t been held in check by Simon and incline toward being funny when funny isn’t called for (satire can’t laugh at itself and work). Danny King is on target as the Dick Powell crooner Jimmy Powers, but when Fidler stupidly casts him as Stone in the film, he becomes a caricature, something even Dick Powell never did.

Dena Risha is solid as Stine’s wife but is another caricature as lounge-singer-turned-hooker Bobbi in the film. Danny Bergold is particularly guilty as a hood after Stone, playing way over the top and looking out of place.

Otherwise, it’s a commendable (and very large) supporting cast. Sarah Richardson is particularly effective as Fidler’s raunchy wife and, in the film, the evil murderess. Frank Gallegos is strong as a cop dedicated to Stone’s destruction.

The Angel City Four (Cindy Caddel, Jenny Powazek, Derek Isetti and Ryan Randa), a group that scats its way through the story, is especially adept at capturing the dash and sound of the Hi-Los, and Dennis Castellano’s swinging musical direction and conducting help provide the right ‘40s big-time flavor.

* “City of Angels,” Irvine Barclay Theatre, UC Irvine. Wednesday through Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 3 p.m. Ends Sunday. $14-$16. (714) 824-2787. Running time: 3 hours, 15 minutes.

Michael Holmes: Stine

Todd Denning: Stone

Laura Hartpence: Donna/Oolie

Dena Risha: Gabby/Bobbi

David Anderson: Buddy Fidler/Irwin S. Irving

Sarah Richardson: Carla Haywood/Alaura Kingsley

Danny King: Jimmy Powers

Frank Gallegos: Pancho Vargas/Lt. Munoz

Cindy Caddel, Jenny Powazek, Derek Isetti, Ryan Randa: Angel City Four

A UC Irvine School of Fine Arts production of a musical by Cy Coleman, David Zippel and Larry Gelbart, directed by Eli Simon. Musical direction: Dennis Castellano. Choreography: James Penrod. Scenic design: Sarah Sullivan. Costume design: Annaliese Baker. Lighting design: Tom Ruzika. Sound design: Bones Malone. Stage manager: Christina Paulette Pond.