‘Never’ swings like Fred and Ginger

The West Coast premiere of Musical Theatre West’s “Never Gonna Dance” at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center is very loosely based on the 1936 film “Swing Time” starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

A lighted heart on the proscenium curtain announces that this purely escapist show, which features the durable music of Jerome Kern and a new book by Jeffrey Hatcher, is meant to be a glitzy valentine to Depression-era musicals. In fact, watching “Dance” is a lot like being handed a big, gooey box of chocolates.

But to paraphrase a confectionary cliche -- here, you always know exactly what you’re going to get.

Both film and play center around the fortunes of Lucky Garnett, a lovelorn hoofer and inveterate gambler who must make a quick $25,000 in order to win back his high-society girlfriend.

When Lucky arrives in New York to make good on his bet, he meets Penny Carroll, a feisty dance instructor who initially dismisses Lucky as a masher or a crank. Of course, after meeting so cutely, the two are destined to fall in love, a romance played out in a series of memorable dance sequences.

Astaire-Rogers films were never known for their sophisticated story lines. To give Hatcher’s adaptation its due, the plot in “Dance” is considerably thicker than it was in its predecessor. Peripheral characters have gained effective dramatic heft, and a big final dance competition provides ample opportunity for backstage intrigue. However, despite those innovations, the book remains a flimsy framework upon which to hang the various musical numbers -- and the strain shows.

In a generally crisp staging, director Larry Raben and musical director Darryl Archibald find nougats of genuine charm amid the goo. Raben scores his chief coup by casting David Engel and Tami Tappan Damiano as Lucky and Penny. Familiar to local audiences from Musical Theatre West’s “Crazy for You,” among other productions, Engel and Damiano generate considerable star wattage. It’s evident that Engel is by far the stronger dancer -- but so was Astaire, and that didn’t detract from the romantic chemistry, nor does it here. Damiano may be a singer first and foremost -- and what a singer she is -- but she’s a competent dancer and a terrific foil.

Also terrific are Yvette Tucker and Danial Brown as Lucky and Penny’s dance contest competitors, and Henry Polic II as Morgenthal, a homeless former stockbroker who recovers his fortunes after meeting the lucky Lucky. Joshua Finkel garners huge laughs as Penny’s flamboyant Latin lover, Ricardo Romero. Also hilarious is John Moschitta Jr. as the aptly named Pangborn, the dance studio’s fussy proprietor. However, Tony-winner Harriet Harris seems out of her depth as Mabel, Penny’s pal and Morgenthal’s love interest, who caterwauls through her songs like a cat on a fence.

Frills and furbelows aside, “Dance” is all about the dancing. Fortunately, veteran choreographer Lee Martino rises to the occasion with verve and ingenuity in dance sequences that put the heart into this spangled valentine.

*

“Never Gonna Dance”

Where: Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 Atherton St., Long Beach

When: 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays; (added show 7 p.m. Tuesday)

Ends: March 5

Price: $25 to $50

Contact: (562) 856-1999

Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes