P.T. BARNUM STORY NEEDS A MUCH BIGGER BIG TOP.

Byline: Katherine Karlin Correspondent

'BARNUM'' IS a big musical with big numbers about a big man. So how does director Josh Prince adapt it to the little stage at NoHo Arts Center?

Not too well.

In this scaled-down production, bright ladders and streamers suggest a three-ring circus, and the players are in the audiences members' laps (literally, for one unlucky woman).

This can-do spirit would work if ``Barnum'' had a strong narrative, but Mark Bramble's expository book would fit in a couple of typed pages. The composer Cy Coleman, who created his best work when inspired by a great lyricist, teamed with Michael Stewart here to create a mostly unmemorable score.

The story centers on the opposites-attract relationship between the brash eponymous showman and his no-nonsense Yankee wife, Chairy; she disapproves of his hucksterism, but she's a good sport and is generally supportive. Even when Barnum falls into the arms of Jenny Lind, the ``Swedish Nightingale,'' at the close of the first act, we find he has returned to his senses and his forgiving wife by the opening of act two; any canoodling seems to be have been done during intermission. The only remaining tension is to wonder when Bailey will turn up.

To succeed, ``Barnum'' needs razzle-dazzle, and this tight space prohibits it. A recent evening was fraught with mishaps: dropped props, on-mic backstage noise, and (G-rated) wardrobe malfunctions. The young and energetic cast performed bravely; it wasn't their fault. This is simply too much show.

If you're going to spend a couple of hours in the theater, however, you could do worse than to gaze at the startlingly beautiful Yvette Lawrence, who plays Chairy. She's got a pleasant voice, too. As Barnum, James J. Mellon executes chin-ups and treads a balance beam, but he just doesn't exude the larger-than-life quality that brought us the Greatest Show on Earth. The versatile Robert Mammana plays a number of supporting roles with chameleonlike efficiency, and Emily Kosloski sings a gorgeous ``Love Makes Such Fools of Us All.''

On the evening under review, standby Jacquelyn Levy stepped in to sing the bluesy ``Black and White'' seamlessly.

BARNUM - Two stars

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

When: 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday; through March 26.

Tickets: $30 to 35. Call [phone], Ext. 5.

In a nutshell: Big show under the little tent.