‘Happy Fella’ Keeps Conejo Audiences Smiling

Some years after creating “Guys and Dolls”--one of Broadway’s finest musical comedies ever--Frank Loesser struck again in 1956 with “The Most Happy Fella.” Its predecessor had been cheerful, funny, full of catchy songs and packed with colorful characters from the stories of Damon Runyon.

“Fella” was something else: serious (almost tragic), with a subtler score, and a story set among Italian American grape growers in California’s Napa Valley. And some of its language was, by Broadway musical standards, a bit strong.

The Conejo Players’ fine version of “Fella,” under the direction of Dick Johnson, is one of the group’s more ambitious productions, with a cast almost spilling over the stage from the large and intricate set. The only thing that’s “small” is the orchestra--two pianos, the same device used to great effect in a 1992 Broadway (and Los Angeles) revival.

Tony (Lloyd Allen) is a prominent Napa farmer who meets waitress Rosabella (Sarah Corley) in a San Francisco coffee shop. She barely notices him; he is infatuated and leaves her a note. After a lengthy correspondence, she accepts his proposal of marriage.

He has sent her photos of his foreman, Joe (Richard Hawkes), a much younger and more handsome man. It takes the rest of the play to work things out, with comic interludes by Rosabella’s friend, Cleo (Randy Ryder) and ranch hand Herman (James Harlow), a pair reminiscent of Ado Annie and Will Parker from “Oklahoma!”

* “The Most Happy Fella” continues at 8 p.m. Thursday (including tonight), Fridays, Saturdays and 2:30 Sundays through Dec. 13 at Conejo Players Theater, 351 S. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks. General admission is $8, Thursday; $10, Friday and Sunday; and $12, Saturday; group discounts are available. For reservations, call 495-3715.

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One-Man Show: Actor-writer Doug Motel has put one of his day jobs to good use--as the basis of a one-man show. Motel portrays several men and women of various ages, ethnicities and sexual orientations, all of whom cross paths at the fictional Hollywood apartment complex, “Shiva Arms.” The one character he doesn’t play, amusingly, is the building’s new manager, a part-time actor named Doug Motel.

Emotions range from high humor--a beach-side ceremony conducted by “Course in Miracles” guru Marianne Williamson and featuring (offstage) appearances by actress Jaclyn Smith and a dead seal--to pathos.

Motel emotes in a variety of accents ranging from Australian to Armenian, some more convincing than others. He performs 90 minutes straight without props, makeup or changing costumes, and manages to create an inviting, well-rounded microcosm.

* “Shiva Arms” continues at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, through Dec. 13, at Theater 150, 918 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai. All seats are $20. For reservations (highly recommended) or information, call 646-4300.

Especially for Kids: This year’s Elite Theatre Company version of Charles Dickens’ “The Cricket on the Hearth” is quite different from last year’s Santa Paula Theater Center production. Most importantly, this adaptation, by Marian Jonson is aimed more at younger children, with its emphasis on animated toys, young actors and a running time--75 minutes--suitable for those with short spans of attention.

The story is not unlike “A Christmas Carol,” with a similarly near-destitute family, and a Scrooge-like curmudgeon who learns his lesson.

The acting is of widely varying quality, which shouldn’t bother the kids much, and one of the most expressive thespians in the show is young Katie Cochrane, who plays a dog.

* “The Cricket on the Hearth” continues through Dec. 13 at Petit Playhouse, 703 South B St., Oxnard’s Heritage Square. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets to all performances are $12; $10, students and seniors. For reservations, call 483-5118.