Don’t miss the chance to see ‘On the Town’

If you don’t have plans for this weekend, put down this newspaper for a moment and order tickets for the Stowe Theatre Guild’s radiant production of “On the Town.”

The show is docked at the Town Hall Theatre through Aug. 2. You won’t want to miss the chance to be transported back to a time when sailors on a 24-hour leave in New York City could find romance, hope and fun, singing and dancing all the way.

Leonard Bernstein’s timeless musical has been entertaining theatergoers since 1944, and this high-energy production shows just why its popularity is unlikely to wane anytime soon.

The show opens at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Things get complicated shortly after three sailors disembark from their ship. Soon, a wide-eyed sailor named Gabey finds his dream girl — or more accurately, the image of his dream girl — Miss Turnstiles, on a poster in the New York City subway.

Most of Act 1 revolves around attempts by Gabey and his two sailor buddies, Ozzie and Chip, to track down Miss Turnstiles, whose real name is Ivy.

Gabey finds her, loses her and finds her again as the audience is whisked to the Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Hall, a slew of nightclubs, a subway car, and Coney Island. Along the way, there’s plenty of comedy, playful sexual innuendos, and angst.

Miraculously, each of the sailors has found a girl by the time they’re supposed to get back aboard their ship.

Director Steve Magowan has outdone himself by assembling a cast where each actor is a perfect fit for his or her part.

The sailors — Billy O’Brien as Gabey, Owen Brady as Ozzie, and Sam Lewis as Chip — all have dreamy voices, good looks and copious charm.

Their girls — played by Justine Magowan as Hildy, Victoria Drew as Claire De Loone and Vanessa Cousins as Ivy (Miss Turnstiles) — have strong stage presence and excellent comedic timing.

The show’s minor characters are strong, too, and often steal the spotlight when they’re on stage.

Jim Coates gives a grand performance as Judge Pitkin W. Bridgework. Kristina McDalis is delightful as liquor-swilling voice coach Madame Maude P. Dilly. Andriana Chobot is equally annoying and endearing as the sniffling sidekick Lucy Schmeeler. The ensemble cast hits the right notes and dance steps in every number.

Of course, the engine behind “On The Town” is Bernstein’s music, which draws on a dizzying array of styles, including ballet sequences, reprises, jazzy pop songs, classical spoofs and soaring ballads. Even the scene changes are accompanied by long stretches of lively or reflective music drawn from the themes in the songs.

It’s a challenging repertoire, but music director and pianist Carol Spradling nails it perfectly. Spradling leads an eight-piece orchestra, which played seamlessly from behind a screen in back of the set during last Friday’s show.

Choreographer Karen Amirault does a fine job of incorporating a variety of dance styles — jazz, ballet, lyrical and even belly dancing — and keeping the 14-member cast in step during scenes with multiple hoofers as well as solo performances.

The only disappointing part of the two-hour production was when the last chords of the finale were sung and it was time to leave the theater.

"On the Town" presented by Stowe Theatre Guild

8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, July 23-26, 30, 31, Aug. 1 and 2.

Show information: stowetheatre.com.

Tickets: $20 adults, $10 children, plus tax. Get tickets here, or at the box office in front of the Town Hall/Akeley Memorial Building on Main Street. The box office opens at 6 p.m. on show nights. Call (802) 253-3961 any time to reserve tickets.