The 1940's Radio Hour

When the Actors Co-op first produced this show in 1994, it became its longest-running show ever. It returns as an "encore," under the direction of Nan McNamara. The show is an unabashed exercise in nostalgia, set in the days before television and the Internet, when radio represented the major media connection for all Americans. The action is set in a radio studio, shortly before Christmas 1942, during a broadcast on station WOV (V for "victory") by The Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade. The company performs a garland of '40s hits and morale-boosting support-our-troops messages—as well as commercials for Pepsi-Cola, Sal Hepatica, and other products of the day.

The show's personnel are a colorful crew, including Pops the doorman (Gary Ballard), who also operates as a bookie; producer Clifton Feddington (Steve Gustafson); live-wire ingénue Connie (Tawny Mertes); trumpet player Biff (Nathan Bell), who has joined the air force and is about to be shipped overseas; crooner Johnny Cantone (Jeff Guilfoyle, subbing for Michael Downing); and low comic Neal (Brian Habicht), who longs to be a ballad singer. There's also Wally (Ben Ryan), a delivery boy from a local eatery who's hooked on show business. Their easy camaraderie, rivalries, and repartee provide much of the show's charm.

The show's 19 songs include a lively rendition of "Daddy" by Mertes, "Our Love Is Here to Stay" and "I'll Never Smile Again" by Guilfoyle, and a jazzy, down-and-dirty version of "Blues in the Night" by Gina D'Acciaro. Kimi Walker delivers a sultry "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good," and Catherine Gray offers stylish takes on "That Old Black Magic" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." There are also rousing ensemble numbers—including "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," "Strike Up the Band," "Jingle Bells," and for a bittersweet finale, "I'll Be Seeing You."

McNamara provides an engaging production, though toward the end the pacing seems a bit slack, and some of the material, such as the rather lame takeoff of annual radio performances of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," slows things down without being particularly funny. There are standout performances by Mertes, Gus Corrado, understudy Michael Dye, D'Acciaro, Guilfoyle, and Gray. Mark Svastics' detailed period set, with its huge and clunky microphones, and Paula Higgins' costumes underline the '40s flavor, and music director Linda Kerns nimbly plays piano and leads the slick instrumental combo.

Presented by Actors Co-op at the Crossley Terrace Theatre, 1760 N. Gower St., Hollywood. Sept. 23-Nov. 13. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m. (323) 462-8460. www.actorsco-op.org.