'BUSH IS BAD' ABOUT AS FRESH AS W'S ADMINISTRATION.

Byline: Evan Henerson

Theater Critic

It's not a requirement that politically themed musical revues actually be well-sung. But wouldn't it be nice if they were?

Joshua Rosenblum, the composer/lyricist of the left-leaning sendup "Bush Is Bad," has something to impart, and he's fairly witty the way he goes about it. A 15-month "Bush Is Bad" run at a New York theater of an ever-evolving show (the "Lame Duck Edition" returns in the spring) is nothing to sneeze at.

Rosenblum's music is another matter. That "Bush Is Bad" -- in its West Coast premiere at the NoHo Arts Center -- is a bit repetitive isn't high treason. The sizable gap between its wit and its musical stylings, however, is less palatable.

The nine-person cast -- one of whom is, apparently, an unabashed Republican -- delivers these potshots with some real gusto. None of the actors is a musical virtuoso. Or else, in the interests of satire, they're deliberately trying to make our current presidential administration seem discordant as well as inept.

The headlines have certainly given Rosenblum, co-directors Jay Willick and James J. Mellon and the cast no shortage of material. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (played by Michael Craig Shapiro) dances his maniacal way through "Torture Has Been Very Good to Me." Several songs later, the character's comeuppance, in the face of the federal-prosecutor scandal, feels newly inserted.

Many of the jabs aim for the easiest of targets. In "Crazy Ann Coulter," Sabrina Miller is a wig-tossing, vamping automaton. Gerry Mullins is a comically contrite Harry Whittington, apologizing to Dick Cheney for being such an inconsiderate hunting partner ("my face blocked the perfect shot you had at that quail").

Rosenblum is in no way averse to salty humor. Why settle for one off-color pun on the name "Bush" or "Dick" when you can use nine or 10? Witness Jeb (Jonathan Zenz), Jenna (Stefanie Black) and the elder Barbara Bush (Mullins) taking the stage as a family trio to remind us that "You Can Never Have Enough Bush."

On the slightly more sophisticated side, Rosenblum artfully uses the musical techniques of famed composers for satiric purposes. So it's Mai Thompson-Heath (the company's best voice) singing a "Showboat"-inspired love song from Condoleezza Rice to George Bush, and Zenz borrowing from Weill for "Das Bush Ist Schlecht." And "Scooter Libby, Superstar," martyring Libby in the style of Andrew Lloyd Webber, is a delight.

Playing the president is Roger Ainslie in a performance of squinty-eyed, word-slushing exactitude. Does Ainslie break any kind of new satirical ground? After seven years of this administration, how could he possibly?

"Bush Is Bad" isn't bad. It's not especially fresh either, but the laughs are there.

Evan Henerson, [phone]

[e-mail]

BUSH IS BAD - Two and one half stars

Where: NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood.

When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday; through May 20.

Tickets: $35. [phone].

In a nutshell: Clever but rather tuneless body-slam to No. 43 and his inner circle.