Back in 2003, Geva Theatre workshopped Gregg Coffin's then-new musical romantic comedy, "Five Course Love," inspired by the bizarre notion of speed dating and the complexities of dating in general. The show was so well received that Geva put it on its Nextstage the following spring, where it ended its run to sold-out houses and glowing reviews. A year after that the play opened Off-Broadway for a multiple-month run, and since then it has been performed in various theaters around the country, and even one in Korea.

Now Geva has brought its show back home - tweaked significantly from its original local production - to close out its 2009-10 season. It's an unusual choice for a Geva main stage production, but a thoroughly entertaining, smart, and sweet show that's almost impossible to dislike. If you're single, "Five Course Love" will make you feel a little better about your chances in the dating game. If you see it as a couple, "Five Course Love" will probably get you laid.

"Five Course Love" is a collection of five vignettes, each set in a different type of restaurant. A blind date goes horribly wrong in a sushi bar turned kitschy barbecue smokehouse; an illicit mob affair goes down in a stereotypical red-sauce joint; a bizarre sex triangle plays out in a German restaurant; and so on.

I will be honest: I wasn't sold during the first piece. The characters, the songs, the plot were so broad and, well, goofy that it felt totally out of place on a stage that just last month staged a thoughtful August Wilson work. But my fears dissipated a bit during the exciting, near-operatic second arc, and were completed obliterated during the howlingly funny German sequence. It's no coincidence that after that scene the play starts to get a little meta, breaking the fourth wall and brazenly flaunting its own self-awareness. Under the goo-goo eyes and kissy faces are a bevy of very talented people who know exactly how to make even the most clich�d set-ups fresh, exciting, and very, very funny.

Three actors play all 15 roles in the play, and they're all superb. Kristen Mengelkoch plays the show's lone woman, switching accents and wigs to portray everything from an adulterous Jersey mob moll to a flitty Mexican maiden. Mengelkoch has a huge Broadway voice and is game for everything the show throws at her, including that eye-popping German dominatrix get-up. She appears to be having an almost criminal amount of fun in that sequence, and in response, so does the audience.

Troy Britton Johnson frequently plays her leading man, and is equally convincing as a lovelorn milquetoast nerd or a randy outlaw who promises he's packing serious...heat. Kevin Ligon rounds out the cast, usually playing the role of the help. His excellent singing is matched by his wonderful comic timing. He even manages to sell the hoary "Trouble in the kitchen!" joke every single scene.

Mark Cuddy's direction is brisk and engaging, and the whole play - just 80 minutes, without an intermission - zips by without sagging for an instant. The set by Adam Koch does a good job of making what is ultimately an intimate show feel at home on such a large stage. Take special notice of the lighting design by Robert Wierzel. Lighting is one of those theatrical elements that is typically most effective when you don't notice it at all, but here the lights have a profound impact on the set, and lend a great deal of energy to the play itself. It's no surprise that Wierzel was recently nominated for a Tony Award for his work on the musical "Fela!"

The songs by Coffin are peppy and loaded with smart lyrics. Several are quite memorable, including "The Blue Flame" and "Der Bumsen-Kratzentanz." It's true that countless plays have been written on the subject of love and the many, many ways it can go wrong. In that respect "Five Course Love" isn't necessarily saying anything new, even as it tackles situations as wide ranging as infidelity, dating services, lust vs. romance, and kinky German threesomes. But it really doesn't need to break new ground. There will always be lonely people looking for assurance, and couples looking to reignite that bright initial flame, and so long as a solid cast and crew are behind the wheel, "Five Course Love" satisfies.

"Five Course Love"

Through Jun 6

Geva Theatre Center, 75 Woodbury Blvd.

$28-$65 | 232-GEVA, gevatheatre.org