Joe Joseph and Sharone Sayegh Photo by Caelan Carlough

The genesis of this musical, which is not often produced, rests within John Steinbeck's novels "Cannery Row" and "Sweet Thursday." We are transported, several years after the second world war concluded, to Monterey, California. Doc (Joe Joseph) is a youthful biologist immersed in his work. He quickly points out that there are "All Kinds of People" in the area. One of them, vocal and spirited Mac (Hennessy Winkler) repeatedly rallies young men. The guys hang out at The Palace Flophouse.

Suzy (understudy Hanna Koczela in a recent performance) is a young woman who has just arrived and cut her hand reaching through a window to pilfer a sweet. She expresses her plight with "Everybody's Got A Home But Me." Mac, Hazel (Elijah Dawson), and other characters are animated as they enact "On a Lopsided Bus" and "Bums' Opera." Fauna (Sharone Sayegh) is pivotal since she becomes something of a confidante or mother figure or mentor to Suzy. Fauna also happens to "manage" the Bear Flag Cafe, a bordello. Sayegh has a lovely voice which she utilizes on the lyrical "Sweet Thursday."

Director Kat Yen has a challenging task to somehow coordinate this show, which features many scene changes that are executed by a combination of stagehands and actors. Scenic designer Jimmy Stubbs furnishes settings. Choreographer Isadora Wolfe highlights various sequences with vigorous, specified movement. Jacob Kerzner's positives include music direction and conducting of a small orchestra. All of this occurs within the confines of a cozy theater where no one is at a great distance from the goings-on. A theatregoer not merely senses but feels the flow of the production.

Music carries the day as Fauna and Suzy blend mellifluously on "Suzy is a Good Thing" near the end of the first act. Doc, Pancho (Wes D'Alelio), and Suzy combine on "All at Once You Love Her" before intermission. By now, everyone in the house has the notion that Doc and Suzy might have more than eyes for one another.

This show's expository portion, at its very beginning, is not its strength but by the time the second act commences, Pipe Dream rolls forward on a crescendo. Such numbers as "The Happiest House on the Block" and "The Party That We're Gonna Have Tomorrow Night" zip along. Director Yen does not rush the inevitable Doc and Suzy coupling as well as Fauna's important presence as an older/wiser friend.

Sharone Sayegh has performed in shows such as Come From Away and The Band's Visit and she is impactful as Fauna. Joe Joseph was on Broadway in The Kite Runner and The Band's Visit. This disciplined performer is convincing as Doc, who is studious and also emotive. Hanna Koczela has performed numerous times with Berkshire Theatre Group. She was recently asked to stand in as Suzy in Pipe Dream and she demonstrates her vocal range and touch on many songs. She went to the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and is currently a singer/songwriter living in Brooklyn. If you wish to hear more of her, go to Youtube and listen to Hanna's sublime acoustic guitar version of "Up on the Roof." Suzy, her character in Pipe Dream, is, at first, uncertain and under confident. That's the way Hanna Koczela winningly plays it.

Kate Maguire, Berkshire Theatre Group's artistic director, has taken a chance presenting a show which, while it was nominated for nine Tony Awards, did not receive altogether favorable notices when it opened. It is not splashy, but for another month, it has a fitting home in the Unicorn.

Pipe Dream runs through August 31, 2024, at Berkshire Theatre Group, Unicorn Theatre, 6 East St., Stockbridge MA. For tickets and information, please call 413-997-4444 or visit www.BerkshireTheatreGroup.org.