Conceived by Scott Ellis, Susan Stroman, and David Thompson. Music by John Kander. Lyrics by Fred Ebb. Directed by Shane Snow. Presented by Another Musical Co-op. At Pacific Theatre on Thursday, August 21. Continues until August 30

This self-produced mounting of the musical revue The World Goes ’Round is so slick and entertaining it could easily move right onto an Arts Club stage. You never know if that’s going to happen, though, so catch it now in the intimate Pacific Theatre.

The World Goes ’Round features the music of composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb. Their big hits were Chicago and Cabaret, so the song list includes instantly recognizable classics such as “All That Jazz” and “Maybe This Time”. But there are unexpected delights too, including a stand-alone tune called “Pain”, in which dancers sing: “And, oh, choreographers/Let’s have a word about them/Aren’t they the meaning of S/Aren’t we the meaning of M?”

Every artistic director in the Lower Mainland should check out the work of emerging director Shane Snow, who also choreographed most of the numbers and plays clarinet in the tight three-piece band. With its fixed banks of seats facing one another across the performance area, Pacific Theatre makes it almost impossible to stage a revue, but Snow works the space like he’s working a Rubik’s Cube, gleefully playing all of the angles.

With her sweet, strong voice, Alison MacDonald is a standout. Her ease as an actor allows her endless textures; she can be charmingly comic one minute and smokily sexy the next. Sarah Gay is also a talented singing actor, and her duet with MacDonald, “The Grass Is Always Greener”, which has been adapted to include references to Vancouver theatre culture, is a highlight. Tenor Jeremy Crittenden is playfully confident, and drummer and music director Gordon Roberts steps out of the band to deliver a version of “Mister Cellophane” that’s so passionate it gave me goose bumps. Jennifer Neumann seemed to be struggling with a cold on opening night. Timothy Gledhill has fun, but his pitch and tone waver in his upper register. I’m not knocking anybody, though. It’s a talented cast.

Treat yourself.