Photo, Joan Marcus Jim Norton and Kate Baldwin star in "Finian's Rainbow."

By John Soltes / Editor in Chief

NEW YORK (Nov. 5, 2009) — “Finian's Rainbow,” the new revival of the classic Yip Harburg and Fred Saidy musical, will give you dimples if you don't have them already. The show is a candy-coated romp with a social backbone.

It's also pretty strange, too.

The story involves the wide-eyed wonderment of newly-arrived Irish immigrants, Finian McLonergan (Jim Norton) and his daughter, Sharon (Kate Baldwin). The two have landed in Missitucky, a fictional state in the South where the white senators are racist, the sharecroppers are integrated and the lush, green hills look like the Old Country (thanks to set designer John Lee Beatty).

Here, the McLonergans find Woody Mahoney (Cheyenne Jackson), his sister Susan (Aline Faye) and his family and friends.

Oh, and there's a leprechaun named Og (Christopher Fitzgerald) and a stolen pot of gold.

The plot is perhaps meant to make a statement about workers' rights, capitalism, corruption and race politics, ala “The Wizard of OZ.” But the profundity of these statements is rather difficult to decipher. “Finian's Rainbow” is just too weird and dated to make much of a social impact any more. It premiered in 1947 when the memories of World War II and the Great Depression were still fresh in the minds of the Greatest Generation. In these recessional times, the plight of the workers on stage resonates only at a level of acknowledgment of shared circumstances.

But “Finian's Rainbow,” which is a transfer from the City Center Encores! series, is in no way a show lacking in enjoyment.

The classic songs — “Old Devil Moon,” “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?,” “Necessity” and “Look to the Rainbow” — still register beautifully. The assembled actors and singers, under the direction of Warren Carlyle, sell this piece as if it were stronger than it truly is. Baldwin and Norton in particular are lovable as father and daughter. They have a command of their characters, and Baldwin sings with an easiness and delight that reminded me of Kelli O'Hara's turn in “South Pacific.” She is interpreting a classic role by giving it a justified solidity. Sharon is not some standard lady-in-waiting, at least not the way Baldwin outlines her. She's a comfortable, strong woman who simultaneously stands up for her rights and falls for a lover at first sight.

That lover, Woody Mahoney, is equally impressive as played by Jackson. He has a great voice to make “Old Devil Moon” sound like it's emanating from a transistor radio. It''s an old-time voice, a fitting quality for an old-time show.

The cast truly does their best with the less-than-stellar material (Terri White is a showstopper with “Necessity” at the end of the first act). They create, through their devotion to the story, a world both magical and allegorical. It''s a world that takes some getting used to (“Finian's Rainbow” doesn't scream hit show on paper), but it does prove to be a world where the sun shines a little bit brighter on the troubles of the day. And that''s a world worth visiting for two hours, 15 minutes.

“Finian's Rainbow” is currently playing the St. James Theatre at 246 W. 44th St. in New York City. Visit www.finiansonbroadway.com for more information.