Arnaz Romps With Comic Family Values for Reprise!

Two sisters share a bargain-basement apartment in busy Greenwich Village in 1935. And they do this within a musical, “Wonderful Town,” that requires a big, brassy band.

At many musical theater venues nowadays, the band would be radically reduced or simply squeezed into the pit, while the designers think of ways to make the oversized stage look cramped.

No problem for the team at Reprise!, however. At UCLA’s Freud Playhouse, there is no pit, so the band is onstage, perched on a platform that does ingenious double duty as one of designer David Sackeroff’s few set pieces. This leaves only a narrow space at the front of the stage, which is just the right size for a crowded apartment or the other densely peopled Manhattan locales that crop up in this 1953 Tony-winning musical.

In other words, “Wonderful Town” and Reprise! fit very well together--more than the last Reprise! show “Finian’s Rainbow” and about as well as the first, “Promises, Promises” (which also was set in Manhattan).

As usual, the talent is exceptional. Despite a very brief rehearsal period, Lucie Arnaz romps through the role of the tall, sardonic writer Ruth as if it were written for her, whether she’s giving advice on how to lose a man or starring in fantasy scenes taken from Ruth’s potboiler stories.

When she gets swept up by a conga line of Brazilian admirals, and when she learns how to swing like the other Greenwich Village hepcats, it’s hard not to recall her magnificent comedy chromosomes, for these are situations in which we can picture Lucy Ricardo. But Ruth is more sophisticated than the fictional Lucy, and Arnaz gives her character a harder edge.

Stephanie Zimbalist plays Ruth’s sister Eileen, who has a much softer edge than Ruth but knows how to use it. Wearing a blond curly wig, Zimbalist is adept at portraying Eileen’s innocent charms and especially funny as she entices the Irish cops who just arrested her into waiting on her hand and foot, even after she confesses her lack of Irish blood. Zimbalist’s singing voice is pretty but very light, not a major problem in this role.

Director Don Amendolia’s supporting cast is a wonderfully eclectic stew of L.A. talent from many arenas, as well as a few newcomers. Despite the “semi-staged” status of Reprise!, no one used a script on opening night.

Cliff Bemis has a refreshingly different look from the usual romantic lead and a big, solid voice. Tony Abatemarco plays the sisters’ weaselly landlord, whose laughable artistic aspirations partially redeem him. Daniel Guzman is the cooler-than-thou nightclub owner; he looks more ‘50s than ‘30s--but then this is no documentary.

Andrew Rice and Jennie Fahn are the cutest couple; she’s about half as tall as he is. His dumb jock sings remarkably advanced lyrics (by Betty Comden and Adolph Green): You wouldn’t think this lug would use Gide in a rhyme. Joe Joyce and Andy Umberger play radically different kinds of amusingly graceless gentlemen callers.

Kevin Carlisle’s choreography flavorfully evokes the show’s rambunctious rhythms, and David R. Zyla’s white outfits for the chorus line add to the sense of a halcyon era.

The show’s book--by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov, based on Ruth McKenney’s autobiographical stories (earlier dramatized by the same team as “My Sister Eileen”)--is a period piece, but one that retains a lot of sprightly energy.

Leonard Bernstein’s music is nowhere near some of his other shows, but it serves the story well and lacks pretension. Peter Matz’s lively band adds remarkable texture and becomes part of the action, with Matz playing a drunk and other band members taking solos as they stroll back on stage after intermission, almost as if they’re Greenwich Village street musicians.

* “Wonderful Town,” UCLA Freud Playhouse, near Sunset Boulevard and Hilgard Avenue. Tonight at 8; Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 and 7 p.m. Ends Sunday. $40 to $45. (213) 480-3232 or (714) 740-2000. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.

Lucie Arnaz: Ruth Sherwood

Stephanie Zimbalist: Eileen Sherwood

Cliff Bemis: Robert Baker

Todd Nielsen: Guide

Tony Abatemarco: Appopolous

Randy Doney: Lonigan, Shore Patrolman

Jennie Fahn: Helen

Andrew Rice: Wreck

Lynne Marta: Violet, Mrs. Wade

Daniel Guzman: Valenti

Timothy Smith: Fletcher

Joe Joyce: Frank Lippencott

Andy Umberger: Chick Clark

A Reprise! production. Music by Leonard Bernstein. Lyrics and sketches by Betty Comden & Adolph Green. Book by Joseph Fields & Jerome Chodorov. Based on stories by Ruth McKenney. Orchestrations by Don Walker. Directed by Don Amendolia. Musical direction by Peter Matz. Choreographed by Kevin Carlisle. Set by David Sackeroff. Lights by Michael Gilliam. Costumes by David R. Zyla. Sound by Jon Gottlieb and Philip G. Allen. Stage manager Meredith J. Greenburg.