The Goodspeed’s revival of the Frank Loesser 1956 hit The Most Happy Fella, directed by Rob Ruggiero, is part Italian opera and part soap opera, but the soapier parts are far exceeded by the depth and passion of the love story, the powerhouse music, and the tremendous vocal abilities and heartfelt performance of the lead actor Bill Nolte, who plays Tony.

Tony is an aging Napa Valley Italian immigrant grape farmer whose life is passing him by, and his sourpuss jealous sister, Marie (Anna Arvia), undermines his self-confidence and reinforces his belief that he’s ugly and unworthy of a woman’s love.

But the empty place in Tony’s heart is bigger than his fears and he decides to pursue a mail order bride. After noticing Rosabella (Mamie Parris), a weary waitress working in a diner, he leaves her his amethyst tiepin with a note and they being corresponding. She is also looking for love and freedom from the monotony of her life.

She responds with a heart-fluttering picture of herself, but Tony chickens out and in lieu of his photo, he sends her a picture of his foreman, Joe (Doug Carpenter). Tony reasons that once Rosabella arrives, she’ll see beyond outside appearances and fall in love with him for the good man he is on the inside, a man whom everyone in town adores.

Of course, that’s not what happens, or there would be no story. Tony is severely injured in a truck accident just before Rosabella arrives and she discovers that the handsome Joe is not Tony after all.

The new life she envisioned becomes another prison. Tony is a plain-looking man further compromised by the accident, and much older than she imagined, and Rosabella sees no option but to marry the injured and now-bitter Tony—but she also makes the tragic mistake of giving in to a night of passion with Joe.

Parris beautifully and painfully brings to light the lack of options of a young woman of the 1950s whose future hinges entirely on a man.

But Tony grows on Rosabella and she does see beyond the curmudgeonly surface and begins to bring out the best in him—until he discovers her indiscretion—and even then forgiveness and healing and a life together with the baby-to-be fathered by Joe whom Tony accepts as his own creates a hopeful and most happy ending.

There are more terrific songs than space to list in this review, but among the most memorable are Tony’s passionate “Rosabella” and “My Heart is so Full of You,” and Rosabella’s plea for understanding from Tony, “Please Let Me Tell You.”

On the lighter side are such favorites as a nicely choreographed—and the most well-known tune in the show—“Standing on the Corner,” featuring a group of guys ogling the “girls” walking by; the comic Italian-themed “Abbondanza”; and of course, the theme song, “The Most Happy Fella.” “Happy to Make Your Acquaintance” is another charming song—a sort of reverse My Fair Lady in which Rosabella instructs Tony in English pronunciation.

Although Carpenter is physically well cast for the role of Joe and has a fine voice, he is strangely devoid of facial expression after betraying Tony with Rosabella, singing the moving solo “Joey, Joey, Joey”.

Weaker points in the show are the superfluous, predictable dance numbers thrown in for no real reason that don’t tie into the plot and seem jarring after a particularly intense and moving scene—female chorus members suddenly tossed around by their male counterparts and then disappearing as quickly as they appeared.

But overall, Ruggiero has pulled together a tightly woven production with lovely, diverse sets from designer Michael Schweikardt’s circa-1950s diner in the opening act to the stunning Napa Valley mountains punctuated by John Lasiter’s warm, glowing, ever-shifting lighting. A rich, full orchestra, directed by Michael O’Flaherty, enlivens the musical numbers.

The final production of the 2013 season, The Most Happy Fella continues at Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam through Dec. 1. For performance times and tickets, call the box office atwww.goodspeed.org.

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