A LESSON TO LEARN—Michael German, as George Bailey, and Bart Sumner, as Uncle Billy, in the Actors' Repertory of Simi's production of "A Wonderful Life," playing through Dec. 21 at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, 3050 Los Angeles Ave. Theater critic Alexander Woollcott once wrote in a review of a Sigmund Romberg score, "Brother Romberg has written his usual thunderous choruses which you enjoy while they are being roared at you and forget by the time you reach the lobby."

Such is the case with "A Wonderful Life," now playing at the Simi Cultural Arts Center, whose songs didn't reach farther than the end of my row before dissipating into the ether.

It wasn't the fault of the company. Try as they might, the talented performers of the Actors' Repertory Theatre of Simi could not make a silk purse out of a sow's ear of a show that has been languishing since its modestly successful premiere in 1991. Save for one benefit performance in 2005, it never made it to Broadway.

The fault doesn't lie with the story. Based on the classic 1946 Frank Capra film "It's a Wonderful Life," which starred James Stewart and Donna Reed, the saga of a selfsacrificing sap who sees his litany of professional failures in a different light is an inspiring story.

Stressing the value of family, friends, loyalty and the art of giving, it is not only ideal fodder for the holiday season, but its implications of failed businesses, overextension of real estate loans, and struggling families during hard times are uncomfortably real for today's audiences.

With all this going for it—a great story, historical relevance and an impressive cast—how does this production fall flat? The answer is in the music.

Composer Joe Raposo and lyricist Sheldon Harnick certainly had the credits to pull this off. Raposo (who died in 1989) was the esteemed writer of countless songs for children's television, while Harnick, with partner Jerry Bock, wrote the score for the hugely successful "Fiddler on the Roof."

But the combination of Raposo and Harnick just doesn't click in "A Wonderful Life." The songs in the show are mostly forced, ranging from meandering ("One of the Lucky Ones") to overwrought self-pitying ("Precious Little").

Instead of furthering the action, the songs hinder it, and in one embarrassing instance, guardian angel Clarence's "Wings" might be better suited for "Sesame Street."

Michael German makes a great George Bailey. With James Stewart's indelible performance in everyone's head, German creates a different George—one who trudges through life with a chip on his shoulder, absorbing an unbelievable streak of bad timing as he gives up college, a career, a honeymoon, travel, and almost his life, in order to help others.

In German's performance, as opposed to Stewart's, the ebullient optimism disappears quickly, and his bitter selfloathing toward the end, with the backdrop turning blood red and then black, is palpable and effective. What German lacks in warmth he makes up for in angst.

As Uncle Billy, the avuncular Bart Sumner is the only cast member whose performance can be compared to that of his counterpart in the 1946 film—the immortal Thomas Mitchell. Even after he unwittingly forks over $8,000 to the bilious Henry Potter, one can scarcely feel any anger towards him.

Unlike the wheelchair-bound Potter of the film, Howard Leader hobbles around with a cane, which removes the key irony of the character: the power of the disabled over the mobile residents of Bedford Falls.

Dawn Notagiacomo is endearing as George's faithful and loving wife, Mary, and easily has the best voice in the cast. Nick Ferguson is annoyingly likeable as Sam Wainwright, the guy you went to school with who always seems to get the breaks.

The easiest role to have fun with is that of Clarence, the befuddled angel-in-training. Paul Panico portrays a somewhat less loveable Clarence, whose sympathy for George's plight is outweighed by his own personal ambitions.

Kelly Wilkinson's choreography, always difficult on the cramped stage of the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, was excellent, as were the dramatic lighting effects, designed by Lacey Stewart and George Kralemann, who also directed the show.

As "A Wonderful Life" shows, George was too good for his own good, but despite Mr. Potter's sneer that "some men can't handle success," George Bailey proves that riches can't always be counted in the till.

As it turns out, such a message doesn't need music.