Dry Wit of ‘Desert Song’ Saves Outdated Operetta

When the Music Theatre of Southern California’s artistic director Bill Shaw introduced “The Desert Song” on opening night at the San Gabriel Civic Auditorium, he praised the show’s Sigmund Romberg score and its vaudevillian comedy scenes, but he also acknowledged that the 1926 operetta is “one of those oldie moldy relics.”

So who needs critics?

This is the yarn about a Moroccan rebel chieftain, the Red Shadow, actually a French general’s son. He poses as a bumbling nerd in front of his father and the perky Margot--who’s beginning to fall for the Red Shadow, unaware of his true identity.

The best strategy: listen to the pretty voices, admire the pretty sets, gently guffaw at the occasional joke that’s so bad it’s good. Don’t worry about the plot or even the lyrics, which are sometimes hard to decipher.

Ann Winkowski is a plucky, high-trilling heroine. Richard Kinsey’s transitions from silly goof to glamorous renegade lack polish, but his voice is up to snuff. Stan Chandler, who convincingly played the Duke of Windsor in “Only a Kingdom” and Tony in “West Side Story” in recent months, transforms yet again, into the arrogant martinet who plans to marry the girl.

George Strattan handles the comic shtick like a knobby-kneed second-banana from the ‘20s, ably assisted by Charlotte Carpenter as his lovelorn secretary. Among the voices, John Holder’s stands out.

* “The Desert Song,” San Gabriel Civic Auditorium, 320 S. Mission Drive, Thursdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends May 23. $18 to $50. (626) 308-2868. Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, May 28-29, 8 p.m.; May 30, 7 p.m.; May 29-30, 2 p.m. Ends May 30. (800) 233-3123. $20.50-$40.50. Running time: 2 hours, 55 minutes.