Whatever the state of the theater elsewhere, there is a Rainbow at the Orpheum with bits of pure gold scattered throughout.  This collaboration by the Rado brothers, James and Ted, of Hair fame, has exuberance, charm, and a frequently superfluous book.

The story is a kind of peace and love fantasy in which a young Vietnam casualty returns to earth with the otherworldly Rainbeam troupe to ask the ultimate question: "why?"  In the process, they spread a little magic, explore a variety of musical styles and touch both satirically and tenderly on bits and pieces of American life.  The ending is poignantly ingenuous, like the John Lennon song "Imagine".  It concludes with the President's repentance, Man's forgiveness and the ending of the war.

This may sound deceptively cohesive because actually the show has a serendipitous hit or miss quality.

Though there is a dreamlike air to rainbow, the fun is real.  For me the showstopper was "Oh, Oh, Oh" featuring Marie Santell as First Lady and Philip A.D. the sweetest Jesus in town, in orange sneakers.  Joe Donovan's direction of a competent cast and varied material was interesting and brisk.