Theater

“Paint Your Wagon”: A rich vein runs through this Gold Rush musical, and someday someone will fully mine it. Presented by Geffen Playhouse, a substantially rewritten version of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s show strikes close to pay dirt. More than the 1951 Broadway original and certainly more than the ludicrous 1969 film, this presentation homes in on the notion that the ‘49ers were so intent on finding gold that they at first overlooked the true bounty. As envisioned by Geffen producing director Gilbert Cates and revised by David Rambo, the show suggests that what really awaited the miners was discovery of their own potential.

Daryl H. Miller

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Ends Sunday at the Brentwood Theatre, Veterans Administration campus, West L.A. (310) 208-5454.