Christmas in July? To the extent that's reminiscent of those egregious Christmas Shoppes, which are kitschy any time of year, I can do without it.

But if a little hyping the holiday is the price of getting to revel in "Irving Berlin's White Christmas," as the stage adaptation of the 1954 movie is called, it's little enough to pay. The loving, jaunty version directed by Charles Repole for the Pittsburgh CLO offers a happy submersion in one of Berlin's most fabulous scores and the 1950s style that embraces it, featuring appealing leads backed by a dancing and singing ensemble that makes you fall in love with musical theater all over again.

Recognizing that, you realize that Christmas in July is really no more than standard theatrical make-believe. Granted, the musical's Christmas motif is pretty hokey, as is the climactic half-version of the title song, which was already an old favorite and a bit of a cliche in 1954. But I get far more sentimental kick out of the songs invoking World War II patriotism and camaraderie, "What Do You Do With a General" and "The Old Man."

	Matt Polk Danette Holden, left, as Judy and Christina Saffran Ashford as Betty in Pittsburgh CLO's production of "White Christmas." Click photo for larger image. 'White Christmas' Where: Pittsburgh CLO at Benedum Center, Downtown. When: Through July 15; Tues.-Sat. 8 p.m.; Sat.-Sun. 2 p.m.; also 7:30 p.m. July 15. Tickets: $16.50-$52.50; 412-456-6666.

Those, the recent memories of a good war won and the admiration for the beloved figure of General Waverly all make this an appropriately patriotic musical comedy accompaniment to the Fourth of July.

And any sentimental overkill is just the downside of Berlin's astonishing ability to put his musical finger on the heartbeat of American rituals and dreams. His specialty was songs getting right to the heart of national icons and holidays: It's no surprise the song "White Christmas" debuted in an earlier musical, "Holiday Inn," composed entirely of songs for seasonal celebrations.

The other songs that Berlin lavishes on this score include "Sisters," "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing," "Count Your Blessings," "Blue Skies," "Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me," "How Deep Is the Ocean" and "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" -- standards all, which I define as songs that start to run through my head whenever I hear just their titles.

As any movie musical buff knows, the story starts on Christmas Eve, 1944, with Bob Wallace and Phil Davis entertaining their comrades of the 151st Infantry Division at the front. (Gone from the David Ives and Paul Blake book is the movie detail about Phil's saving Bob's life and the running joke about how that always gets him his way.)

Flash forward 10 years, and the duo are successful entertainers who get involved romantically with a couple of sister performers. They all end up in Vermont, trying to stage a show to bring business to the inn being run by their old general.

The charming and believably shy George Dvorsky brings his rich singing voice to Bob. He meets his match in Christina Saffran Ashford's opinionated and velvet-voiced Betty. Ian Knauer is all glad-handing charm as Phil, with the serious skills to put on a real dance show with Danette Holden's similarly skilled Judy.

Providing the occasion around which all these congregate is Stacy Keach as gruff-with-heart-of-gold General Waverly, Alyssa Gephart (understudied by Lyric Beth Ackelson) as his niece Susan and the tart-tongued Alix Korey as the wry inn manager.

Korey's Martha (Emma in the movie, if you're confused) is one of those great comic roles, with the bonus that she gets to sing, pre-eminently "Let Me Sing and I'm Happy," which contains the brilliantly true lyric, "What care I who cares / For the world's affairs, / As long as I can sing its popular songs."

There are various other small supporting roles (Jeff Howell plays a one-man band and Paul Palmer a Vermont Ken Brannigan), but the support that lifts all the principals to a higher level comes from the ensemble of 20 dancer-singers, bright, beautiful and tapping up a storm on demand. Choreographer Michael Lichtefeld puts them to very good use. And I love the way they all look at home in 1950s styles.

The brisk CLO production has a minimal set design by Kenneth Foy that turns out not to be minimal at all. The place is a sound stage, reminding us this whole thing is make-believe that started in the movies. Then such succinct and colorful set pieces are wheeled into place that make-believe is easy, until the cast finally finds itself putting together a show right there in the inn's barn, at which point the visible stagehands fit right in.

In addition to the vocal standards already listed, Berlin's largesse affords us lesser-known songs that reverberate with mid-century charm, such as "Love and the Weather," sung as an oblivious duet between Bob and Betty, and "I Love a Piano," which branches out into a big number that brought down the house at the start of Act 1.

Songwriter Jerome Kern, who knew something about the subject, is supposed to have observed that "Irving Berlin has no place in American music. He is American music." That's because he goes right for the heart, and we're happy to forgive him any emotional excess.