Grand in the grandest way, Los Angeles Opera's production of "The Merry Widow" dazzles the senses.

From the "ah"-inspiring first scene, with dancers and singers gowned, cloaked and tuxedoed in whites, grays and blacks in a monochromatic setting of a Parisian grand ballroom, this version of Franz Lehar's 1905 operetta presents impressive visual and auditory treats.

The sets and the costumes are nothing less than stunning, and even if the performances are mediocre -- which they are not -- they make the operetta worth seeing. Each of the three scenes wears its own gorgeous color scheme, and just when we thought no gowns could be more magnificent, they are.

Lehar's music, ranging from Strauss-like waltzes to marches to folk melodies, keeps the three-hour-plus show moving along rapidly. Brilliant, athletic dances, especially the Astaire-Rogers-like ballet at the nightclub, fill the stage with life. The fine opera chorus, although almost peripheral in its on-stage movement, fills the hall with rich, full sound.

This dicey operetta stirred some ire at its opening for its forward-looking libretto. But now, the cleverly complicated story that pokes amiable fun at the politics of the day, infidelity, and shallow values -- "It's human nature, that men think gold is beautiful," says one song -- merely elicits knowing chuckles.

Handpicked by director Lofti Mansouri, the cast shows off the best of operatic voices. Southern California native Carol Vaness, lushly playing the cheerful and incredibly wealthy widow Anna Glawari, sings with elegance and control, smoothly tailoring her style to each of the different songs -- her tender rendering of the sentimental "Vilja's Song" will warm any cold heart.

Conductor John Demain's excellent orchestra carefully underplays during Vaness' solos, allowing her somewhat light voice to shine.

With his rich baritone, Rancho Cucamonga resident Rodney Gilfry, guest artist of Los Angeles Opera and well-known to opera fans as co-host of the radio program "Opera Notes on Air," (7 p.m. Sundays on KMZT 105.1 FM) gives life to Count Danilo, the happy bachelor.

While marvelous singers, both Gilfry and Vaness seem flat when delivering spoken lines.

With shining tenor voice, Charles Castronovo, as suitor Camille de Rosillon, like a puppy panting after its master, almost succeeds in capturing the heart of the "respectable wife" Valencienne, demurely played by young Virginia Tola whose bright, full high voice soars above the stage.

All of the singers' voices suffer, however, from a lack of clarity. Only through the help of supertitles can their clever, charming lines be laughed at and enjoyed.

The operetta sparkles with adult and thoughtful goofiness, featuring difficult but smoothly performed comic, almost slapstick scenes. The absolute best is the most ridiculous -- the delightful octet, "How should women be handled?" lamenting the peculiarities of the feminine persona. Bachelor and married men, tall and short, bounce and bump together with impeccable timing into a great, high-kicking chorus line that stops the show.

It's not high opera, but "The Merry Widow" offers total entertainment -- outstanding singing, dancing and staging.

OPERA REVIEW

"The Merry Widow"

(In English with English supertitles)

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Dec. 19, 1 p.m. Dec. 15 and 22.

Where: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.

Admission: $34-$165.

Information: (323) 850-2000 or Ticketmaster, (714) 740-2000 or (619) 220-8497.

On the Internet: www.LosAngelesOpera.com