It's been a long time since we've seen a Midwest production of "Do I Hear a Waltz?"

The Richard Rodgers musical, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, opened in 1965 but has been so rarely revived that the production now playing at Theatre at the Center in Munster, Ind., may be a first for many theatergoers (although some will recognize the plot from the Katharine Hepburn movie "Summertime").

This charming musical was well worth the wait. Under William Pullinsi's sensitive direction and with superb performances, this show offers the kind of simple honesty of human emotion that is poignant and very moving.

Set in Robert C. Martin's Venetian landscape of arched bridges, with a suggestion of the Italian city's famous canals in the background, the action takes place on the ancient stone steps of the Pensione Fioria in 1961.

Here we meet Leona (a riveting portrayal by the always-compelling Hollis Resnik), an American secretary and spinster on her first trip to Italy. While in Venice, she succumbs to the charms of an Italian shopkeeper, Renato DiRossi (charismatic and golden-voiced Larry Adams).

Renato isn't exactly the man of her dreams (which is hard to believe, as Adams has a matinee idol's looks and a voice to match). He is supposed to represent life's realistic choices, as opposed to idyllic fantasies.

Leona soon discovers Renato is married, has children and has little money. She is torn by the moral dilemma of her puritanical American values and those of Italy, in which "there's no divorce, only discretion."

This confrontation of values affects other guests at the pensione as well.

Eddie Yeager (an engaging Nicholas Foster), a young American painter, and his childish wife, Jennifer (nice job by Amy J. Ludwigsen), have problems of their own, as Eddie turns to the arms of the widowed, seen-it-all pensione owner, Signora Fioria (terrific comedic portrait by Paula Scrofano).

Supporting characters, such as American tourists Mr. and Mrs. McIlhenny (David Perkovich and Carol Kuykendall in fine form), don't engage in any hanky-panky, but they also are affected by the easygoing moral climate.

While this show doesn't have the kind of hit songs as Rodgers' better-known musicals, there are some gems here. The show's title ballad, given a delicious delivery by Resnik, and "Take the Moment," sung with a lush tenor by Adams, sound great. And so does the onstage chamber orchestra directed by Mark Elliott.

This production, without the spectacle of many modern musicals, is an intimate, bittersweet show that has the power to waltz right into your heart.

Do I Hear a Waltz?
When: 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays, through Aug. 14
Where: Theatre at the Center, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, Ind.
Tickets: $25 to $35
Information: (219) 836-3255 or www.theatreatthecenter.com