A charming tale from such ‘Fools’

Even by the screwball standards of Neil Simon comedies, the eye-rolling punch lines of “Fools” rush in where wisecracks fear to tread. Amid its lavishly corny cornucopia of shtick and groaners, a breezy, energetic revival from Ventura’s Rubicon Theatre Company mines unexpected sweetness and charm to lighten up the holidays.

Written in 1981, “Fools” is something of a departure from the comic formula that established the playwright’s popularity with “The Odd Couple,” “Barefoot in the Park” and other early hits. Instead of shoehorning his trademark one-liners into a reality-based premise, Simon abandoned any pretense of plausibility in this romantic fairy tale set in the mythical Ukrainian village of Kulyenchikov, far from the skyscrapers and urban neuroses of New York City.

For 200 years, the villagers have been under an evil spell of foolishness that renders them incapable of thinking clearly or making decisions. The curse will be lifted if a newly arrived schoolteacher, Leon (Jeff Charlton), can educate one of the afflicted inhabitants within 24 hours -- but if he fails, he will become a fool like the rest of them.

This fanciful setup allows Simon unfettered license to sidestep realism and luxuriate in lowbrow inanity. Not surprisingly, the ensuing dialogue is wall-to-wall comebacks: “I thought you dusted this already,” complains the local doctor (veteran comic character actor Steve Franken) to his busy wife (Brenda Ballard); “I did -- I put dust on it yesterday,” she replies.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“I’m not even thinking what I’m thinking.”

When the Rubicon promoters bill the show as a “Borscht Belt ‘Brigadoon,’ ” they’re not kidding.

The cleverness of its conceit notwithstanding, “Fools” had a hard time finding its footing after an inauspicious Broadway debut. Sheer silliness obscured some of its ironic self-aware twists on fairy tale conventions, and making stupidity the brunt of so many jokes flirts dangerously close to nastiness -- only the reversibility of their condition separates these fools from morons.

An impressively insightful staging by Henry Polic II overcomes most of these pitfalls to strike an agreeably balanced tone. The village idiots may be slow, but their simplicity and lack of guile ultimately trumps the schoolteacher’s “superior” intellect. Driving home this lesson of the heart is perfectly cast Laura Morache as the doctor’s radiant, bubble-headed daughter, Sophia, who pierces Leon’s arrogant pretensions with her unselfish desire to know “not what it’s like to be loved but what it’s like to give love to another.”

Around these appealing romantic leads, supporting cast standouts include George Ball, who brings earthy humor to the butcher Slovitch, and Dan Gunther, who exudes good-natured befuddlement as the sheepless shepherd Something-Something Snetsky (he can’t even remember his first name).

Justly garnering the lion’s share of laughs is Thom Babbes as the mustache-twirling Count Gregor.

There’s plenty of scenery for him to chew in Bobby Bingham’s elaborate, colorful set, which pivots like the leaves of an illustrated storybook to switch between the village square and the doctor’s house.

Suspension of disbelief -- and any attachment to narrative continuity -- are mandatory. Repeat, MANDATORY. But the show’s contagious whimsy can elicit momentary grins even from grinchy drama critics.

*

‘Fools’

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

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

Ends: Dec. 12

Price: $25 to $47

Contact: (805) 667-2900 or www.rubicontheatre.org

Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes