Nine

MILLBURN, N.J. A Paper Mill Playhouse presentation of a musical in two acts based on the film "8 1/2" by Federico Fellini, with book by Arthur Kopit, music and lyrics by Maury Yeston, adapted from the Italian by Mario Fratti. Directed by Robert Johanson.

Cast: Paul Schoeffler (Guido Contini), Matthew Fasano (Young Guido), Judy McLane (Luisa Contini), Lauren Kennedy (Carla Albanese), Glory Crampton (Claudia Nardi), Judith McCauley (Guido's Mother), Stephanie Pope (Liliane La Fleur), Gregory Butler (Leo Darling), Jan Neuberger (Stephanie Necrophorus), Sally Ann Tumas (Our Lady of the Spa), Celeste Disimone (Mama Maddelena), Robin Irwin (Whore), etc.

"Nine," the Tony-award-winning 1982 musical fantasy inspired by the equally acclaimed 1963 Fellini film "8 1/2," has been imaginatively reinvented and extravagantly restaged by director Robert Johanson at the Paper Mill Playhouse.

"He lives a kind of dream," Luisa Contini (Judy McLane) explains as she sings "My Husband Makes Movies." It is a Minnelli-esque surrealistic dream on the Millburn stage; a dizzying montage of gorgeous showgirls, beefy Chippendale dancers, floating gondolas and enough sequins and plumes to adorn an MGM musical and every Vegas revue on the Strip.

The costumes created by Gregg Barnes are opulent enough to satisfy any fantasy, and the scenic design by Michael Anania, from a blue tiled Venetian Spa to the glittering cabaret stage setting for Fontane di Luna, provides an elegant terrain.

In a desperate attempt to salvage his life and a sagging career, the celebrated film director, Guido Contini (Paul Schoeffler), embarks upon a soul-searching odyssey into his past. It is a journey in which he encounters his childhood at age 9, his wise and comforting mother and, subsequently, his troubled and tangled affairs with seductive, manipulative women.

Johanson has avoided the original concept of a conductor and his orchestra of women in black. This "Nine" is stylish and colorful. It is rich with layers of vivid contrasts, from sleek sophistication to camp and gaudy grandeur.

Maury Yeston's distinctive score retains its former glory, as do the original , though unbilled orchestrations of Jonathan Tunick.

Schoeffler falls short in the vocal department and lacks the charisma and flamboyance to make the philandering film director anything more than tentative. McLane gives a lovely, assured and sensitive account of the long-suffering wife, and Lauren Kennedy as the hot mistress redefines phone sex in the wildly funny "A Call From the Vatican."

"Folies Bergeres" recaptures a sassy French tradition, and Stephanie Pope, trailing a lethal feathered boa, turns oo-la-la into a first-act highlight. Jan Neuberger as an acerbic critic, Glory Crampton as a film star and Judith McCauley as the director's mother add keen support in a big, attractive cast that numbers more than 30 players.

Choreographed by D.J. Salisbury; musical direction by Jim Coleman. Sets, Michael Anania; costumes, Gregg Barnes; lighting, Tim Hunter; sound, David R. Paterson; stage manager, Lora K. Powell. Artistic director, Robert Johanson; executive producer, Angelo del Rossi. Opened Sept. 6, 1995, at the Paper Mill Playhouse. Reviewed Sept. 10; 1,200 seats; $ 46 top. Running time: 2 HOURS, 25 MIN.

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