South Street

This world-premiere musical might evoke a nostalgic response from viewers familiar with the popular Philadelphia thoroughfare of the title. Yet not much feels dramatically resonant in the play's fictional nightspot, Sammy's Place, where clichés and contrivances abound. Librettist Craig Carlisle and composer-lyricist Richard Addrisi appear to have envisioned a lighthearted frolic, but their endeavor quickly bogs down in a banal and confusing narrative and an undistinguished pop-rock score. Lyrics in one particular song ("I've got class coming out of my ass") sum up the material's scarcity of grace and wit.

Who is the intended audience for a musical that mixes cheesy pole-dancing sequences with trappings usually associated with family entertainment? Yet the show's most ruinous defect is a baffling narrative structure, in which sketchily written characters haphazardly interact in awkward time-period shifts. Furthermore, the two main plot threads are far from original. As heroine Cloe (Maria Eberline) attempts to carry on running the nightclub after the death of its owner, Sammy (Tom Shelton), two mustache-twirling villains (Jim Holdridge and Benjamin Goldsmith) are immediately at the door, informing Cloe that the establishment is facing foreclosure and they are the new owners, planning to convert it into a "booby" bar, serving "knockers-worst on rye." Soon thereafter, we learn that the whirlwind romance between Cloe and piano accompanist Johnny (Brent Schindele) might be short-lived, as he has received a terrific job offer out of town. He's unaware that Cloe is pregnant with his child, and she doesn't want to tell him. Before these obstacles are cleared up in an obligatory happy ending, there are approximately two-dozen songs and several big dance numbers, capably choreographed by Dana Solimando.

Director Roger Castellano and a brave cast work hard to elicit intermittent fun from the thin material. Eberline and Schindele are appealing as the romantic leads, and both are accomplished singers. Statuesque Matthew Patrick Davis, bringing to mind lanky Tommy Tune in his prime, sings sweetly as Cloe's kid brother. Andy Scott Harris is likewise superb playing the character as a child. Vivacious Valerie Perri is largely wasted as a fiery chanteuse whose reason for being in the story is fuzzy at best. Similarly, Ezra Buzzington is spry and likable as a quick-witted character, yet his function in the bar remains unclear. Harrison White, as the jovial bartender, shares a few enjoyable vaudeville-styled routines with Shelton.

The marvelously evocative set design, which shows a colorful view of South Street alternating with scenes depicting the bar interior, is credited to Andy Walmsley. Kate Bergh's costumes and Brian Monahan's lighting are likewise first-rate. It's the book and the score that cry out for major renovations.

Presented by and at the Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena. Sept. 25-Oct. 16. Tue.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 4 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 & 7 p.m. (626) 356-7529. www.pasadenaplayhouse.org.