Rebecca Judd and Cami Thompson (note the alphabetical order), two hometown musical comedy stars who've made notable careers in theater and nightclubs away from Reno, have come back to star in The Nevada Repertory Company's "A Grand Night for Singing."

"A Grand Night" is a compilation of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's songs collected from a variety of the team's shows, then crammed, with considerable grace by crammer Walter Bobbie, into a revue of sorts. Of sorts, because such revues written as revues by the composers and lyricists themselves take on a much different dramatic feel than what often turns out to be a mini-retrospective put together by someone else.

So what do we have with this star-studded, highly-touted closing for Nevada Rep's 25th season? A really nice evening with some lovely songs that people who grew up in the 40's, 50s, and 60s, will, for the most part, love.

Other than that, songs built to move along a play's plot (as R & H's invariably were) don't work as well, when there's no plot to move along; unless they are brilliantly sung, which very few of the songs in this revue are. Nicely sung and passably sung works as pleasant to hear, but not necessarily as engrossing and compelling to experience. "A Grand Night for Singing" is lovely to look at, delightful to behold, with some not-so-good-to-truly-fine singing along the way.

Director Bob Dillard's staging does a tidy job of moving the revue's 19-person cast around, although the action in what comes off as little more than a concert version of R & H's music never rises to the level of out-and-out exciting. Scenic designer Larry Walters has draped his set with flowing swatches of white, diaphanous draperies set in front of midnight-blue curtains ornamented with hundreds of twinkly lights that gives the show a sophisticated Manhattan nightclub look. Lighting designer Michael Fernbach lights everything with his usual radiance and with a precise eye for where everyone or anyone will be at any given moment. Ginny Vogel's in-need-of-tailoring costumes are passable, but not enough more.

The choral ensemble numbers are put together with professionalism by music director and pianist Brach Thomson (Richie Havens marvelous drumming completes the show's accompaniment). Choreographer Liona R. Bourgeault has given the cast simple steps to do and they work rather well, but this is not a dancing cast and that's hard to cover. Most of the closing poses in Bourgeault's routines are picture perfect. Unfortunately, dancing isn't a still life. Like the movies, dancing's a picture that needs to move.

Tom DeWester joins Judd and Thompson as the show's other principal singing star, and he - like they - is quite good.

Of the three, Rodger's tunes and Hammerstein's words work best for Miss Judd. She's magnetic, when she's on stage alone. With a lovely, liquid soprano sound and fabulous control (she's never an opera diva trying to sing a pop tune) Judd is a very classy singing-actress. Her "He's Something Wonderful" and "Love Look Away" are "Grand Night's" most poignant and thoroughly satisfying moments.

Thompson, too, is a knockout singing actress, but there aren't the kind of knockout possibilities with the songs this revue assigns her to tap into her range. The gender-bending aspects of the revue's assignments are baffling. When "South Pacific" opened in 1949, Mary Martin - dressed in a white, loose fitting sailor's uniform - made "Honey Bun" a fabulous musical comedy moment. In "Grand Night" "Honey Bun's" been handed to the guys of the cast, while Thompson goes begging. The guys are okay, but Thompson has the showbiz chutzpah to make "Honey Bun" a showstopper. Thompson was in top ballad form singing "If I Loved You," but the missed opportunities in this revue for this exceptional performer are legion.

DeWester is out of the John Raitt mold. He's good looking, a bit stiff and sings well. His "Surrey With the Fringe on Top" was awfully good, right out of "Oklahoma," as are the pert acting contributions of Annie Woods, DeWester's side-kick along for the ride in R & H's famous surrey.

I also liked Cheryl Anselmo and Richard J. Cano's well-sung and touching "We Kiss In the Shadows." John L. Curtis makes the most of his moments on stage and does a nice send-up of "I'm Just a Guy Who Cain't Say No," although - if the song's original gender were intact (the boy-crazy Ado Annie in "Oklahoma") - "Cain't" is a Thompson kind of number, that - if she were doing it - would bring down the house.

"A Grand Night for Singing" is a confectionary delight for R & H fans and a suitable one for others who aren't out for the full impact these songs offer. "A Grand Night for Singing" does offer many good-to-fine moments, an attractive dinner-theater setting, good food and the possibility, that - at any given performance - something more electric than Walter Bobbie's tepid setting for these great songs might happen.

"A Grand Night for Singing" can be seen at the Redfield Studio Theatre on the University of Nevada, Reno campus through May 2. All performances (April 16, 17, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30, May 1 and 2) are at 8 p.m. (dinner seating begins at 6), except May 2, which is at 2. For information call 775 784 6847.