The stated intent of David Hale Dietlein and Hale Centre Theatre is to present family friendly theatre in a semi-professional way. So far, they're two for two since franchising out here in Gilbert. Following up on their sweetly successful production of Beau Jest, they're mounting an Arizona premier of the pleasant Eliza Dolittle story-in-reverse comedy Man with the Pointed Toes by Lynn and Helen Root. With only one disappointing performance out of eight, effective direction for the performance in the round by Allan Dietlein, and a simple comedy that doesn't try to, or need to try very hard to send its audience home with a smile, this company has hit its stride.

The show, set in 1980, is a very cute and even a little saucy observation of a recently wealthy oilman, Tom, swept off his feet by the gold-digging bad girl Pam, hiring a back-East finishing school mistress, Florence, to teach him and his ranch hands Link, Hank, Lem, and Jose, to scrub the mud from their unpolished ways and make them all cultured and refined. There is never a surprise here, and the script is a bit too quick to twist the second of its pairings, but even when you know exactly where you're going, you can't help but enjoy the ride.

Success is in part thanks to the professional direction of Mr. Dietlein. A veteran of theatre in the round, he keeps the stage pictures interesting and utilizes all of his space effectively. The pacing is as quick as a thoroughbred, but never too fast to lose the audience. His casting is also almost completely perfect.

The "aw, shucks" charm of Tom is perfectly captured by Chad Krolczyk. His transformation from Texas Longhorn to a handsome drawler of great poetry is completely seamless. You have to stop part of the way through to remember what it was he was trying to polish, an excellent bit of acting. Balancing him is the diminutive and sheepish Tamra Mathias as the prim and smitten Florence. She ably presents the refinement of her character, and does a fair turn when this caterpillar is transformed into a slinky butterfly. Aiding in this transformation is Don Crosby's prairie-smart and equally smitten Link. Mr. Crosby captures the charm and wiliness of this ranch foreman and best friend to Tom. The comedic duo of Hank and Lem, John Janezic and John Alldredge accordingly, do their level best at injecting physical humor into the evening. Toby Ambrose is forced to stretch himself into the kind of Spanish-speaking Mexican most gringos can't help but represent, though he has excellent comedic timing and is given a pre-scene in the first act that is an absolute hoot. While Hank Johnson is solid as Tom's lawyer, the disappointment of the evening is Alaina Beauloye as the jaded New York millionaire-trapper Pam. While there is little depth to her shallow character, Ms. Beauloye manages to flatten it completely. Her line readings sound like they're a cold read from note cards, and she has no chemistry with any of the cast.

The nicely appointed living room is credited to Mike Jones and the ASU Theater Department, and it works well to set up and carry the show. Craig Steenerson's lighting design is excellently wrought, from specials to the long stairway lights to highlight a surprising amount of the action. Sandy Dietlein's costumes and props are carefully chosen.

This is exactly the kind of theatre to which you can bring your children. In fact, there was a preponderance of them at the Saturday night performance, and none of them rustled or visibly stirred though the theatre in the round setting makes it impossible not to notice those facing you. If you don't want to pay for a babysitter, this may be the best cultural night out your family can find, and it won't cost you a second mortgage to boot.