Take a close look at the title for a quick evaluation of the whole show — "The Musical of Musicals — The Musical!"

Repetitive and redundant, certainly. And that unnecessary exclamation point can only point to forced enthusiasm.

Whether or not you love musical theater, the parody of styles at Manoa Valley Theatre registers as self-indulgent for most of its first act. But if you're tempted to leave at intermission, understand that the Act Two is tighter and, thankfully, shorter. And the finale begins to merit some interest.

With music by Eric Rockwell and lyrics by Joanne Bogart, the show tells the same story five times over. But it's not really about a girl who can't pay her rent to a menacing landlord. It's all about poking fun at some famous Broadway names and their distinctive ways of telling a story through music.

Do you have to be familiar with each of them to enjoy the show? Absolutely. Parodies only work when you know the original. But that necessary familiarity also breeds high expectations for the satiric version.

First up is "Corn," which pokes fun at Rodgers and Hammerstein, primarily through "Oklahoma!" The hero is a brash but simple young man in love with his hoe. The obligatory dream ballet is referred to as "Run of de Mille," in sly reference to Agnes de Mille, who created the original choreography.

Groan if you can. But, face it; if you have to have it explained, it only makes things worse.

Stephen Sondheim is satirized next, with a collection of tortured, introspective characters groping about in dark shadows. Jerry Herman's collection of bigger-than-life heroines is the third target, in which the leading ladies can neither sing nor dance, but pull off 40 costume changes per show.

The problem with Act One is that the musical parody, word-play, and in-jokes aren't musically satisfying or truly funny.

Things pick up in Act Two, when the Andrew Lloyd Webber characters complain about all the "wretched recitative" they must deliver. "Why must we sing everything? Why can't we just talk?" The final Kander and Ebb sequence is a visually interesting blend of "Cabaret" and "Chicago" featuring derby hats and bentwood chairs.

Jim Hutchison directs the cast of four with a light hand, allowing Kim Anderson, Terry Howell Jr., Elitei Tatafu Jr., and Pilar Walsh to exaggerate and undercut at will. The uncomplicated style suits the bare stage and plain backdrop, making room for audience imagination to fill in the grand staircases and crashing chandeliers.

The company sings well enough to convey the musical styles, and musical director Phil Hidalgo provides accompaniment on a piano.

The best part of the evening comes last, when the cast parodies "One" from "A Chorus Line" by Marvin Hamlisch. "Done," sing the cast as they move into a synchronized side step, marveling that the audience is still in the theater. "Can't they see we're done? Done. Done. Overdone."

If you can find a way to get into the theater about three-fourths into the show, this number is worth catching.