Depth and talent: ‘Gimmicks’ work

According to the narrative in “Side by Side by Sondheim,” creators David Kernan and Ned Sherrin originally intended their anthology to introduce the emerging talents of a young composer-lyricist named Stephen Sondheim to a wider audience.

Over the last 30 years, Sondheim’s increasing prominence in the musical theater has made the need for introductions largely unnecessary. Nevertheless, the charms of this smartly constructed retrospective of his early career remain undiminished in a first-rate revival at Ventura’s Rubicon Theatre (It will later play the Orange County Performing Arts Center and Pepperdine University).

The revue has become a staple of budget-conscious producers seduced by its minimal staging requirements (three per- formers, one narrator and two pianos). In reality, the lack of props and dramatic context makes it harder to do justice to the songs’ complexity and sophistication. Unlike many popular show tunes, Sondheim compositions are not “plug-and- play”; they remain defiantly specific to the story and characters for which they were created.

Director Nick DeGruccio is no stranger to the intricacies of a Sondheim revue (having staged the West Coast premiere of “Putting It Together”) and has met the challenge here with interpretations that delve deep into the psychological and emotional nuances of the material.

Igniting the cast’s agreeable chemistry is Teri Ralston, a veteran of the original Broadway productions of Sondheim’s “Company” and “A Little Night Music,” who brings penetrating insight and authority to the show’s haunting sadder-but-wiser meditations: “In Buddy’s Eyes,” “Broadway Baby,” “Send in the Clowns” and “I’m Still Here.”

Handling the male characters of all ages with deceptive ease is Davis Gaines, who pokes fun at his long-running lead stints in L.A. productions of “Phantom of the Opera” by brandishing a phantom mask at the “cunning disguises” line in “Comedy Tonight.” Davis’ melodic inflections bring clarity and impact to some of the show’s more obscure numbers: “Remember,” “Marry Me a Little” and “Anyone Can Whistle.”

From the giddy rush of big-city newcomers (“Another Hundred People”) to the depths of romantic anguish (“Losing My Mind”), the younger female perspectives are pitch-perfect and beautifully acted by Tami Tappan Damiano, her seventh month of pregnancy notwithstanding. (Her condition slyly incorporated with a belly rub during “Love Is in the Air” and a hilariously modified gladiator breastplate for “You Gotta Have a Gimmick”).

Speaking of gimmicks, this production sports a lineup of guest narrators, changing weekly. Opening week’s Henry Polic II got the show off to a breezy, avuncular start; Betty Garrett, Richard Kline and Donna McKechnie will follow.

Some updates of note, incorporated with Sondheim’s permission, include the addition of “Too Many Mornings” and “In Buddy’s Eyes (from “Follies”) and “There Won’t Be Trumpets” (from “Anyone Can Whistle”); “If Momma Was Married” (from “Gypsy”) has been cut. The original “West Side Story” entry, “A Boy Like That,” has been replaced with a more familiar medley of verses from “Maria,” “Tonight” and “Somewhere”; the penultimate “Conversation Piece” medley has been replaced with “Being Alive” (from “Company”).

Some dated material in the narration has also been revised, but except for one lapse the context remains 1977. (The period conceit is wittily accentuated in Alex Jaeger’s gaudy post-psychedelic polyester costumes for the “informal” first act. Lee Martino’s choreography is more concerned with character embellishment than with taxing physicality. Even so, polished singing and performances make this cast a formidable double threat.

*

‘Side by Side by Sondheim’

Where: Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura

When: 7 p.m. Wednesdays, 2 and 8 p.m. Thursdays and Saturdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays

Ends: Aug. 22

Price: $25 to 45

Contact: (805) 667-2900

Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Also

Where: Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

When: Sept. 7 to 19

Price: $46

Contact: (714) 556-2787

Also

Where: Pepperdine Center for the Arts, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu

When: Oct. 2

Price: $40

Contact: (310) 506-4522