Standing around outside of Santa Monica Playhouse’s The Other Space, chatting up cast members and munching on mini cream puffs on opening night of Love in Bloom, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Theatre’s tradition as a meeting space within a community. The playhouse, which will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary next year, boasts an international artist exchange program and countless hours devoted to outreach and education. All of this, combined with their charming space on 4th street and the generous hospitality of each cast and production team member I met, made for the perfect environment in which to indulge in the world premiere of a new musical. Built on the traditions of commedia del arte and the whimsy of fairy tales, the union of like-minded artists was greeted in good cheer by the theatre’s patrons.

Devised in somewhat Shakespearian fashion during a period of six weeks, the Actors’ Repertory Theatre ensemble turned a ten-page outline into a full musical production, replete with thirteen original numbers. Narrated by the Queen and King of the Faeries (Evelyn Rudie and Chris DeCarlo), we learn that everything is askew in the little kingdom of Hamelot, and all must be settled by the stroke of midnight. Thus ensues the chase to resolve an arranged marriage, unite two long-lost sisters, uncover mistaken identities, and bring justice to all of the bad guys. An ensemble of six literally changes hats to portray the story’s twenty-eight characters, changing from character into bit of scenery only to burst out in song minutes later. An undercurrent of allegorical nods to the virtues of love and collaboration rises and subsides amidst healthy doses of humor, miming, and classic musical theatre bits. While the story’s components seems familiar, the presentation is uniquely their own, and delightfully so.

Standout moments include the hilarious number, “She Likes You,” in which Constance and Cortina (Serena Dolinsky and Melissa Gentry), disguised as male commoners, teach Prince Hamelot (Tyner Pesch) how to discern whether a girl likes him or not. Indeed whenever the three were together, the action flowed with great charm. Equally clever was the way the ensemble created the landscape of the play through their form, flitting their fingers to portray a campfire and crashing on the ground in a wrecked ship. The intricate choreography inspired admiration, and was articulated with agility and comedic panache. Where the occasional song or phrasing fell flat, the next song would redeem it, sending chills up my spine and a smile to my face. And Zach Medway’s miming Frivolio kept me laughing throughout.

In a world of nymphs and frogs and magic, the logical mind can get confused, but thankfully the second act opened with a comedic recap of previous events. Even so, the production may have benefited from more outside direction, as the synthesized music occasionally overpowered the actor’s singing voice and some bits, especially in Act One, could have been trimmed, clarified, or cut completely. The program notes cite Shakespeare, Mark Rylance, Gilbert and Sullivan, Eugene Ionesco, and Marcel Marceau as influences - a hearty list to say the least, yet favorite moments discovered in rehearsal (and repetitive mentions of magic “wands”) failed to translate in the grand scheme of things.

Tim Chadwick and James Cooper designed a malleable playing space, with simple ramps, stairs and open space draped in netting for the cast to play upon. Up Center of the action, a projector flashed computer-generated images that, while adding to the surreal quality of the world, were distractingly Clip Art-y at times. The humorous wigs and hats and suggestive detailing on the costumes was beautifully carried out by Ashley Hayes, although I do wonder if she meant for Orion to look so astonishingly like David Bowie in Labrinth.

All’s well that ends well, and Love in Bloom ended beautifully on “A Rose By Any Name.” Recollecting the witty character names (Lady Merrymount, the monster Calabasas), I wonder what other references and love notes to the theatrical canon I may have missed. Thankfully, the complimentary coffee and dessert buffet was calling my name, so I didn’t worry long.

Love in Bloom is performed Fridays and Saturdays at 8 P.M and Sundays at 6 p.m through December 13, 2009.

Ticket prices: Regular admission $25.00. Special discount price of $20 students, teachers, seniors and members of the military.

The Santa Monica Playhouse is located at 1211 4th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401, just south of Wilshire.

Reservations by phone at (310) 394-9779 ext 1.