Wasted on the Young: 'The Happy Time'

THE TRADITIONAL STAPLES of a stage dysfunctional family — the black sheep, the drunken brother and the dirty old goat of a patriarch — are all present and accounted for in "The Happy Time," Signature Theatre's latest installment of its celebration of the works of John Kander and Fred Ebb.

Inhabiting the Ark, Signature's smaller and cozier theater, the musical centers on the return of said black sheep, Jacques (Michael Minarik), to his French-Canadian family. Hoping to recapture a more innocent time, the globe-trotting photographer aims to rekindle an old flame, Laurie (Carrie A. Johnson).

Jacques, however, focuses more on his godson and nephew, Bibi (Jace Casey), a boy teetering on the cusp of adolescence whose changing voice has made him the target of schoolyard bullies. Jacques wants to show Bibi the world, starting by whisking him backstage at a burlesque show and getting the boy drunk and, later, aiming to take the boy to faraway photo shoots.

Unsurprisingly, Bibi's strict father, Philippe (George Dvorsky), disapproves, and the brothers clash as Jacques attempts to undermine Philippe's authority. Witnessing the proceedings is the scene-stealing Grandpere (David Margulies), patriarch and ogler of girlie pictures, who expresses both disappointment and pride in Jacques ... but also feeds young Bibi brandy-infused chocolates.

"The Happy Time" features numbers both boisterous ("The Life of the Party") and poignant ("I Don't Remember You"), and led by Broadway vets Minarik, Dvorsky and Margulies, the cast is able. Although the tiny stage seems a little crowded in some scenes, director Michael Unger's production gains depth by screens behind the stage that project Jacques' pictures as he takes them.

» Signature Theatre, the Ark, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington; through June 1; $45-$69; 703-820-9771; sig-online.org.

Written by Express contributor Erin Trompeter