THEATER REVIEW:

The current attraction at the Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse has traversed the entertainment galaxy under more aliases than Sean Combs.

In movies alone, there were “The Shop Around the Corner,” “In the Good Old Summertime” and “You’ve Got Mail.”

Between the latter two flicks, composer Jerry Bock and lyricist Sheldon Harnick, creators of “Fiddler on the Roof,” trotted out a Broadway adaptation and called it “She Loves Me.” The playhouse has created a richly rollicking revival that fully justified its packed house on opening night.

Director Melanie Marshall, with splendid assistance from musical director Elizabeth Bouton and choreographer Alison Mattiza, has fashioned a jubilant production that seems quite comfortable in the limited dimensions of the playhouse. The main setting — a perfume shop somewhere in the Old World and, we must assume, some time ago (the tiny program isn’t big on specifics) — is beautifully established by set designer Daniel Fisher.

This is a love story that doesn’t bloom until virtually the end of the show, but its potential lovers are overflowing with anticipation, having connected through a lonely-hearts service and corresponded by mail for some time. Naturally, they’re a young man and woman who work together and can barely tolerate one another.

Marshall’s cast is excellent, but the cream rising to the top is Laura Lindahl as the new salesgirl who rubs the head clerk (Paul Hanegan) the wrong way. Lindahl is a stunning blonde who possesses a glorious voice and a captivating manner in both her sparring and sparking sessions. Her performance alone is worth the price of admission.

Hanegan’s impact is limited by the demands of the script — he brings a new meaning to the word “hesitant.” But in the second act, when he discovers who his “dear friend” really is, his impact increases, highlighted in his solo rendition of the title song.

No real villains inhabit this show, but clerk Steven Kodaly (Jon Sparks) is a certifiable rat, and Sparks plays this chicanery for all it’s worth, topped by his exit number, “Grand Knowing You.”

Ryan Holihan effectively enacts the timid clerk, and Jaycob Hunter is a bundle of energy and ambition as the bike-riding delivery boy.

The iron-fisted shop owner with conflicts of his own draws a richly constructed portrayal from Louis Jack. Montica Reeves is deliciously vixenish as a salesgirl looking for love in the wrong places.

When the scene shifts to a restaurant, where its maitre’d (a terrific Clare Solly) endeavors to create “A Romantic Atmosphere,” the fun really begins and the ensemble has a field day with all the comic possibilities. There’s even a Russian dance reminiscent of “Fiddler.”

“She Loves Me” isn’t performed as frequently as musicals of far lesser caliber, and the Civic Playhouse production is as elegant as its surroundings. Bouton, Sparks and Holihan have excelled in double duty as costume designers for this production.

WHAT: “She Loves Me”

WHERE: Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse, 611 Hamilton St., Costa Mesa

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday through June 8

COST: $18 to $20

CALL: (949) 650-5269

TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews appear Thursdays.