Rodgers's and Hammerstein's musical play was considered seminal when first staged in 1943: it used music, lyrics and dance to add to (rather than to interrupt) the narrative impetus and to amplify and elaborate on the relationships and characterisations within the drama.

The seeds it sowed have long since blossomed in subsequent musical plays into more sophisticated seamless techniques for moving a musical show along its dramatic way even more effectively so that now, in this Rathmines and Rathgar Musical Society production, it seems old-fashioned. Some of the old-fashioned feel can, however, be attributed to Noel McDonagh's rather old-fashioned production and to the rather exaggerated acting of many of the performers and the lack of a professional edge and precision in much of the movement and dancing. But the energy levels are high and sustained and the songs are still splendidly melodic under Gearoid Grant's lively musical direction.

Kenneth O'Regan's Curly is a little too much the buffoon and not quite clearly enough the romantic lead, but he and Lisa Kelly's Laurey are sufficiently sweetly voiced to get away with such deficiencies of characterisation as may exist.

Margaret O Dalaigh's Aunt Eller is sweet as apple pie, while John McCall and Elaine Hearty provide a suitably zany dim-witted Will Parker and screeching Ado Annie. Garry Mountaine's portly peddler Ali Hakim is suitably venal as Ado Annie's alternate target for her lust. Derek Ryan is a physically towering Jud Fry but would benefit from some more subtlety in the provision of menace in the piece. Arthur McGauran's sturdy Andrew Carnes should resist the occasional temptation to pull funny faces out of character. Such lapses don't help the narrative flow of the play, and John O'Donoghue's somewhat clunky setting keeps bringing us back to that old-fashioned feel of the evening.

Runs until November 6th. To book phone 01-6771717