Jeremy Nye '94 plays the nerdish studio accountant, Linus Pockets, who speaks in incomprehensible alliterations and wears only plaid. Nye pulls off without a hitch tongue-twisters like this one: "Stu-Stu Studio stock has slipped significantly, suggesting a single, sudden smash success is the solitary studio-saving scenario." Unfortunately, his role is limited to rushing onto the stage with periodic bad news.

Adam S. Geyer '93 (Helena Handbasket) and Peter Ferren '92 (Dinah Meetcha) are in dispensible roles as Mel's doo-wopping back-up singers, popping up periodically to explain the plot's complexities (we use that word loosely).

The most intriguing character is actress Angie Nous (Mo Rocca '91), a leftover from the Roaring Twenties, who smokes from a three-foot-long cigarette holder and resembles Norma Desmond from the movie Sunset Boulevard. Rocca's portrayal of Angie's dementia is the histrionic highlight of the show.

Pulling down the curve is Richard Claflin '91 as Ivan Tuthrey. The character says he's old. You can't tell it from his movements. He is supposed to be Russian. You can't tell it from his accent. He is supposed to be a choreographer. You can't tell it from his dancing. We kept waiting for the moment when he would cross his arms, squat down on the stage and do the Russian folk dance that would justify his presence in the show, but it never happened.

The cast is rounded out by Todd Forman '92 as Jean Jacquette, a scheming, Valentino-like lover; Bart St. Clair '93 as Evelyn Seid, his partner in crime; and T.J. Mitchell '91 as Gordon Bleu, the "Parisian chef" who hails from Paramus.

LIKE THE CAST, the musical numbers ranged from astonishingly good to merely puzzling. Rocca's solo number, "The Cutting Room Floor," showcased one of the performance's best voices in a song that combined humor and a touch of melodrama. (In Pudding shows, the comedy requires melodramatic relief.) Also impressive were Dietderich and Kaiser's well-executed "Deja Voodoo" and Tomarken and St. Clair's hilarious "Cats."

On the other extreme were the boring "Ennui Comes, Off We Go" and the pointless "Put Some Rhythm in Your Method." In the latter, Ducey's Shelby, who strikes us as a poor imitation of "Woody" on Cheers, does a soulless soft-shoe routine to win Heidi's heart. And although Safari Sagoodi contains mercifully little gratuitous sexism compared to recent Pudding shows, the "Heidi's Chronicle" number--in which the dumb secretary laments that she can't find a man--strikes us as questionable.

"Jungle Love," a musically mediocre number, is redeemed by fantastic choreography and an imaginative set that includes a flaming cauldron and a troop of cannibals wearing bras made of skulls.

BUT TAKE AWAY the expensive flash and pizzaz and what's left is a collection of some of the most horrible, groaning puns you've ever laughed yourself sick over.

Sample this:

Annette Prophet [reassuring the actors]: "No one's 'getting the boot.' Why, I'd feel like a heel! Our people are the sole of the Stu-Stu Studio. That's what separates us from our arch-rivals."

Or this:

Mel O'Drama: "Uganda magine the things I've been through. You wouldn't Bolivia eyes!"

Barbara Seville: "Wow--Uruguay who likes Lebanon the edge."

Mel: "Well, you gotta Libya life with New Zealand excitement every day."