Passion

Is it indicative of someone's priorities that this production's program includes a detailed bio of the bartender dispensing booze in the lobby, while the Tony-winning creators of this extraordinary 1994 chamber musical—librettist James Lapine and composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim—receive no credit? The scattered strengths in director Marco Gomez's sluggish production aren't enough to atone for this knuckleheaded slight.

Set in Italy in 1863, "Passion" is a brooding romantic tale, based on Ettore Scola's 1981 film "Passione d'Amore," offering a disturbing psychological portrait of obsessive love and the painful compromises sometimes occurring in relationships. Featuring one of Sondheim's most ravishing scores, this challenging musical has an eloquent operatic flair. The story begins in Milan with "Happiness," a soaring love duet between young soldier Giorgio (Nathaniel Reynolds) and his adulterous paramour Clara (Melissa Cook). Their bliss is cut short by Giorgio's announcement that he's being transferred to an army outpost. When Giorgio is introduced to Fosca (Lindsay Zana), the crazed and sickly cousin of his commanding officer, Colonel Ricci (Duane Allen Thomas), the desperate spinster instantly falls for Giorgio and persists in her romantic pursuit of him. He tries to dissuade her, first gently, then more adamantly when she shows no signs of curtailing her degrading behavior, which eventually slips into fits of hysteria. He's ultimately forced to re-evaluate his passion for Clara and reflect on the nature of true love.

Gomez helms a highly uneven cast. Performances range from exquisitely sung and powerfully etched portrayals by Reynolds and Cook to a painfully stiff supporting turn by Sean McSweeney as a doctor. Thomas does creditable work as the stern military leader. Some ensemble members are prone to slurred diction and awkward stage presence, exacerbated by Gomez's sometimes graceless blocking and klutzy scene transitions. In the plum role of the relentless yet pitiful Fosca, Zana sings reasonably well, but she isn't fully convincing in conveying this woman's tumultuous mood swings. The characterization calls for more delicate and precise emotional shadings than are evident here. As Sondheim and Lapine's masterwork is rarely revived, it's a shame that this isn't a worthier rendition.

Presented by DOMA Theatre Company at the Met Theatre, 1089 N. Oxford Ave., Hollywood. Aug. 19-Sept. 11. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m. (323) 960-4443 or www.plays411.com/passion.