A & E

Now, in its 32nd season, the company is producing its fourth world premiere of a musical.

Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's latest work "The Glorious Ones" debuted Friday at the O'Reilly Theater, Downtown.

Ahrens, the show's writer and lyricist, and Flaherty, the composer and Dormont native, are Broadway names for their earlier musicals, which include "Ragtime," "Seussical" and "Once on This Island."

If the show seen at final preview Thursday night is any indicator -- and there's no reason to think otherwise -- "The Glorious Ones" is likely to add to the collaborators' reputation.

Much thought and creativity -- not to mention cash -- has gone into this production, and that investment pays off with nuanced performances, a narrative that flows as smoothly and swiftly as a stream, a breezy score and a handful of songs capable of standing on their own.

With a company of seven actors and a single set, it's an elegantly constructed jewel box of a musical filled with some very appealing rough-cut jewels. Imagine an intricately tooled Italian leather box filled with some lovingly carved pieces of jade and polished amber, and you've got the image.

"The Glorious Ones" has been a labor of love for Ahrens and Flaherty. They've been tinkering with it on and off for most of their 20-year partnership.

Its title and outline comes from Francine Prose's novel about a 17th-century troupe of commedia dell'arte actors performing in the streets of Italy and elsewhere.

Each chapter of Prose's novel told the company's story from the perspective of a different character. Ahrens and Flaherty retain the multi-person narrative while making it clearer and more appealing.

That clarity is made even more accessible thanks to a first-rate cast, especially Paul Schoeffler as Flaminio, the company's dynamic leader, who's obsessed with obtaining immortality for his performances, and Natalie Venetia Belcon as his outspoken, assertive and lusty leading lady, Columbina.

Standing at the heart of the show is Julyana Soelistyo's Armanda Ragusa, whose cheery spirit and loyalty to Flaminio helps bind the audience to the proceedings.

Jenny Powers and Jeremy Webb make a pretty pair of lovers as Isabella and Francesco, and David Patrick Kelly and John Kassir contribute texture and comedy as Pantalone and Dottore.

As they allow us entry into the private thoughts, dreams, disappointments and ambitions of the company members, they also showcase the company's rough-and-tumble, bawdy, funny and highly entertaining improvisational style of theater. True to its street theater roots, those performances and the dialogue exhibit a racy ribaldry that might startle some.

Flaherty gives us a silky, romantic, melodious score, and Ahrens' lyrics are dependably intelligent and poetic.

Particularly pleasant and memorable selections include "The Comedy of Love," a waltzy, pretty little tune; Columbina's "My Body Wasn't Why"; Francesco and Isabella's "Opposite You" and Flaminio's "I Was Here."

Sparing no expense, Pittsburgh Public Theater has assembled an orchestra of seven that includes violin, French horn, cello and reed instruments in addition to piano and acoustic bass.

Among the production's virtues are Dan Ostling's multilevel set of rough-hewn beams that serves for the multiple offstage locations as well as the commedia performances. Costume designer Mara Blumenfeld dresses the company in detailed, colorful costumes that convey the characters' personalities as well as those of their performing characters, such as Pantalone, Harlequin and Columbina.

Credit for the show's seamlessness and swiftness goes to the show's immensely creative choreographer and director, Graciela Daniele. She's a whiz at inventing imaginative solutions for some of the show's demands. She's also a master at pacing, knowing when to linger on a moment and when to forge ahead.

In a fast one hour, 40 minutes you come to know and care about the members of this improvised family and receive an entertaining education about commedia del l'arte performance.

It's the sort of show you enjoy as much for the journey as for the surprisingly moving destination at which it arrives.

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