By Ivan M. Lincoln
Deseret Morning News

HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD, Music USA Amphitheater, Lagoon Resort, Farmington, through Sept. 24 (401-5555 or www.lagoonpark.com). Running time: 30 minutes (no intermission).

FARMINGTON — While younger kids might opt for the high-decibel "Rock U 2 the Top" just across the midway next to the carousel, parents and grandparents, a bit tired from walking from one end of Lagoon to the other, should enjoy getting off their feet for half an hour and watching the park's Music USA ensemble for 2005 do some fancy footwork of their own.

Five men and five women, all very talented, race at break-neck speed through a solidly entertaining salute to the golden age of Hollywood, along with snippets from Broadway musicals that made the transition to the silver screen.

One major element that ties this entire revue together is guest choreographer Jim Christian's snappy routines, from the sophisticated elegance of Rogers and Astaire to the whimsy of "Mary Poppins" to the patriotic tempos of men marching off to war in the 1940s (with women boogieing in the stateside canteens).

It's pretty amazing to see how production manager Brittani Brown and artistic director Ken Plain's creative staff managed to pack 30 tunes into 30 minutes. With a scaled down version of the famous "HOLLYWOOD" sign overhead, the cast moves through a quick succession of one great song after another.

Ashley Grant, Angie Chatelain and Jessica Giauque get the revue off to a sizzling start with a medley of James Bond themes, and by the time the big salute to the military rolls around, the 10-member cast has been through at least 15 different costume changes.

Some highlights include Jeff Parsons and Chad Gneiting tapping their way through "Moses Supposes" (from "Singin' in the Rain") . . . Gneiting as Tevye in a medley from "Fiddler on the Roof" . . . J.D. Dumas in an abbreviated version of "The Impossible Dream" . . . and Giauque, Heidi Evans and Trisha Baker in a medley of Barbra Streisand hits.

A "Stage-to-Screen" segment delivers quick tributes to "Oklahoma," "The King and I" and "Grease," among others.

(The cast also includes two "swing" performers — Shantel Bingham and Gary Brotherson — who rotate in and out of the show almost daily, allowing others to take a day off.)

The costuming is terrific, and scenery designer Chad Davis has given the amphitheater stage a classic black and white look reminiscent of Hollywood during the 1940s and early '50s.

There were a few minor sound problems on opening night, with the taped orchestrations drowning out some singers, but these are adjustments that will likely be fixed early on. Harder to remedy is the occasional competition from two nearby roller coasters.

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