Whimsical Charm, ‘70s Satire Combine for ‘Bamberwood’ Fun

Vegetarian nudist dormitories, Marxist puppet troupes, modern dance interpretations of the menstrual cycle and--of course--no grades. It’s all part of the alternative curriculum at a progressive Vermont liberal arts college circa 1972 in Kirsten Dahl’s whimsically retro “Bamberwood,” at the Met Theatre.

Anyone who experienced that “liberated” era firsthand will appreciate how deftly Dahl’s satirical characterizations hover just this side of exaggeration.

The production overflows with devastatingly hilarious period authenticity.

Using a student production of the Mendelssohn “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” ballet as both plot element and thematic counterpoint, Dahl spins a Shakespearean comedy of awakening sexuality, misdirected passion and eventual enlightenment around Rudy (Scott Connell), an over-the-hill dancer whose wayward libido has torpedoed his every career opportunity.

When old flame Liska (Bari Hochwald) engineers Rudy’s last chance--a summer job as a ballet instructor--he promises to reform in hopes of winning back her heart.

Sticking to his resolve in the midst of the school’s rampant promiscuity proves daunting, especially when a shy student (Michelle McDonald) blossoming under his influence develops a crush on him.

Rudy’s well-cast students include a puckish trickster (Chad Tillner) and a heterosexual feminist (Jenifer Kingsley) who’s now a lesbian for political reasons. Trying on ideologies and identities like clothes becomes a metaphor for a generation’s naive foibles.

Although the complications and characters are sometimes stretched to predictably formulaic lengths, the abundance of charm and wit in Dahl’s script and Glenn Kelman’s effervescent staging are consistently engaging. Also effective are the Westside Ballet dancers (featuring Natalie Blanco and James Riley Joyce), doubling for the actors a la Rodgers and Hammerstein ballet sequences.

Just as enjoyable is the tone of sympathetic tolerance--for all their lifestyle excesses, these characters find their way to a surprisingly sensible moral framework.

BE THERE

“Bamberwood,” Met Theatre, 1089 N. Oxford St., Los Angeles. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends Nov. 23. $20. (213) 660-8587. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.