Theater: Lesser Lenny

BY BERNSTEIN

It is a sad truism that all too often, the moment a skill or art is mastered, either it is out of date or the practitioners have lost conviction. So it seems with that great American institution, the musical—A Chorus Line notwithstanding. That is what makes this cabaret selection of Leonard Bernstein's theater songs — or rather those tossed out of such shows as Candide, On the Town, Wonderful Town and West Side Story — a bittersweet delight. Less than topnotch though they are, the songs brim with confidence and fun. So does the patter, which harks back to the days when sophistication meant wryness and a wise crack was communication. The cast communicates by singing and dancing, and at least two of them — Patricia Elliott and Janie Sell — should immediately have their snap and crackle popped into a real musical.