THEATER REVIEW / ‘THE COUNT OF LUXEMBOURG’ : Romantic Comedy : Franz Lehar’s melodies soar in these love stories of humorous charm.

Moorpark College’s musical theater department is one of Ventura County’s most consistent--and least known--artistic treasures.

Not only does director Marilyn Anderson mount fine shows in relatively minimal surroundings, she mixes the classic--Gilbert & Sullivan, Rodgers & Hammerstein--with material that’s drawn from outside the standard repertoire.

Last year, Anderson directed the West Coast premiere of a Johann Strauss operetta, “A Night in Venice.” The college is currently presenting “The Count of Luxembourg,” an early work by Franz Lehar, whose best-known work is “The Merry Widow.”

Set in turn-of-the-century Paris and first produced in the United States in 1912, “The Count of Luxembourg” is not one of the Hungarian composer’s most frequently performed pieces, but the story has considerable humorous charm, and Lehar’s melodies soar.

Russian Duke Basil Basilovitch has fallen for opera star Angele Didier, but feels that he cannot marry a commoner. His solution is for her to marry the temporarily penniless Count of Luxembourg just long enough to acquire a title. When they divorce, Basilovitch will be able to wed a countess.

The Russian pays the Count to marry Angele, with a few provisos: the two must never meet, let alone consummate the marriage, and each must adopt a pseudonym, so that Rene (the Count) and Angele will remain ignorant of one another’s true identity.

Both agree, and the wedding takes place. Not long after, though, the Count witnesses his first-ever opera: the farewell performance of Angele. He falls immediately in love with her, and she with him. There’s only one problem: she’s married. And, of course, neither realizes that Angele is already married to Rene.

Francis Lucaric stars as the Count: tall, dark and elegant in his swallowtail suit, though with a slightly wacky composure. Andrew Krigel plays Basil Basilovitch, more of a comic figure than a virtuoso singer, but fine. As Pelegrin, the corrupt registrar of marriages, Joel George goes straight for the comedic jugular, looking a bit like Professor Irwin Corey in a bad-fitting Bill Clinton wig.

David Harris and Mark Tortorici appear as two of the few people in the show who have jobs, a bartender and journalist respectively, who still have plenty of time to attend opulent Parisian parties.

Owing, perhaps, to a surfeit of available talent, Anderson has double-cast several important roles. In last Sunday’s performance, artist (and former pastry cook) Brissard and his model, Juliette, were portrayed by Daniel Sullivan and Nicole Yaro, with Virginia Montero appearing as the somewhat mysterious Princess Kokozov. All were terrific; Yaro and Montero will appear in Saturday’s performance, with Jeri Ursetti and Linda Smith on Friday and Sunday. Sullivan will appear as Brissard again this Sunday, with Joseph Murray playing the part on Friday and Saturday.

* WHERE AND WHEN

“The Count of Luxembourg” plays Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and concludes Sunday at 2 p.m. All performances are at the Moorpark College Forum Theater, 7075 Campus Road in Moorpark. Tickets are $8, $7 for students and Moorpark College staff, and $6 for seniors and children. For reservations or further information, call the Moorpark College box office at 378-1437 (today) or 378-1453 (Friday through Sunday).