After the recent fine production of "Singin' In the Rain" at Hale Centre Theatre, an ambitious community theater in West Valley City, the company's next musical was anticipated eagerly. And, if good intentions, hard work and expense added up to a satisfying night at the theater, the new show would be a winner.

Sadly, they don't. HCT's national premiere of "The Slipper and the Rose," which opened Monday, is a misfit with more machinery than magic, more histrionics than heart.

"The Slipper and the Rose" is a recent stage adaptation (by English theater artist Pip Burley) of a 1976 film musical. The show's songs were written by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman, who also wrote scores for "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and "Mary Poppins." Alas, there is no "Spoonful of Sugar" to get this medicine down.

The root of the show's many problems is that it is at odds with itself. Burley's script weakly attempts a grown-up study of social class issues, even continuing the story beyond its usual ending to do so. But Hale's production team rejects this, filling nearly every moment of the play with silly stage business and special effects. Meanwhile, the serious issues brought forward in the show are never resolved. A wave of a wand makes all well in the final moments.

There is little that isn't trotted out to add spectacle: a flying fairy godmother; a stage that rises, lowers, twirls and break into sections; a carriage that rises from below ground; a slow-motion fight scene; dancing statuary; flame; lightning; fog; more fog; and even a man in a dog suit doing back flips.

Yet despite the reliance on theatrical effects, HCT's arena stage defeats the notion of stage magic. The audience can see the wires, machinery and fakeries that make the "tricks" work. No child could believe in magic after watching stage hands step out of the shadows to reel in a dangling Fairy Godmother.

What is missed most in all the hoopla is any chance to feel empathy for the main characters. Cinderella (Melinda Lockwood, alternating with Jennifer Latimer) and Prince Edward (Gabriel Hamilton alternating with Benjamin D. Hale) sing prettily, but speak their stilted dialogue stiffly and generate few sparks.

The Stepmother and Stepsisters are so over the top with their screeching and bickering that they merely annoy. Likewise, the royal ministers who constantly remind Prince Edward of his duty to form a strategic marriage alliance come off as harmless buffoons. Director Bruce Bredeson probably doesn't deserve blame for the show's basic design and concept decisions, which were made in collaboration. He should have reined in his performers' over-acting, though.

There are isolated instances when everything works, and one is the ballroom scene. Jolene Ashcraft's costumes and Marilyn May Montgomery's choreography are lovely. HCT's movable stage and expensive lighting system are used to advantage in setting Cinderella and the Prince apart from the crowd. The taped musical score, orchestrated by Mearle Marsh, is kept in balance with the singers for a moment, too.

For the most part, though, "The Slipper and the Rose" feels like a long night at the theater with much to see, but little to feel. The production of "Cinderella" staged by Ballet West (still running at Salt Lake City's Capitol Theatre) makes hearts soar. This one makes seats sore.

Thorny production

* "The Slipper and the Rose" plays at Hale Centre Theatre, 3333 W. Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City, through April 9. Performances are Mondays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Matinees are Saturdays at 12:30 and 4 p.m. and Monday, March 25 and April 1, 4, 7 and 8 at 4 p.m.

* Tickets are $19 to $21; $14 to $15 for children. Call 801-984-9000. For information, visit http://www.halecentre theatre.org