Boris Akunin's "Erast Fandorin" at the National Youth Theater is one of those shows that cannot miss.

Based on one of the most popular of Akunin's bestselling pulp novels, it has an audience base about as broad as the Russian steppe and as long as the Volga River. What it lacks -- the depth of the Russian soul -- I doubt will hurt it at the box office, because another of its distinctions is the slick, attractive look that director Alexei Borodin and designer Stanislav Benediktov have given it.

Although there may be only five people out there who do not know the plot of this intricate detective story, I will refrain from being too specific in my descriptions so as not to ruin it for the uninitiated few.

Fandorin is a young man who unexpectedly finds himself investigating the apparent suicide of a student who appears to have had connections to a radical group. But the deeper Fandorin is drawn into the details of the incident, the more he becomes entangled personally, professionally and morally. One man whom he considers an enemy -- the brutish, mysterious Zurov -- turns out to be a lifesaver. Others, who he is certain are friends and colleagues -- such as the senior inspector Brilling, the school mistress Lady Esther and the beautiful femme fatale Amalia -- emerge as anything but what he had thought them to be.

Akunin, who dramatized the novel himself, does not show a great flair for theater. This long and wending work is extremely talky and situational. We bounce around from setting to setting -- on the street, in police headquarters, in a private home, in an English flat or on an English pier -- thanks to Benediktov's versatile set. Free-standing doors are briskly moved on and off stage as various backgrounds are whisked in and out to suit the needs of the moment. Borodin, often with the help of movement coach Vladimir Belyaikin, imparts a sense of movement where there really is none to speak of by having children turn circus somersaults or Fandorin and his pursuers running in place to the accompaniment of lively music.

Akunin so wears his influences on his sleeve that it is difficult to take him seriously. He reminds me of a blend of Fyodor Dostoevsky and Agatha Christie, but he lacks everything that makes these two writers worthy of interest. What is left is a skeleton key of characters clearly lifted from Dostoevsky and plopped into a lighthearted Agatha Christie-type detective story.

Fandorin is part the innocent Prince Myshkin from "The Idiot" and part the wise inspector Porfiry Petrovich from "Crime and Punishment." The passionate, explosive but ultimately good-hearted Zurov is patterned on Rogozhin from "The Idiot," while Amalia, the elusive object of his and Fandorin's affections, is drawn on any number of Dostoevsky femme fatales, Nastasia Filippovna in "The Idiot" first and foremost. These parallels, and there are many more besides, are so obtrusive as to be irritating.

What we are left to enjoy, then, is the craftsmanship of the production -- also deserving note is Boris Volkov's lighting, which shows off Benediktov's set and Borodin's actors to good advantage -- and some of the acting.

There is talk that Pyotr Krasilov's performance as Fandorin will make him an instant star. I think that is placing an unfair burden on the actor, who, indeed, is glib, charming and unassuming as the sleuth with perfect intuition. Handsome, agile and likable, Krasilov puts up a fine front. But until he is given the chance to sink his teeth into something more challenging, I think it proper to leave it at that.

Natalya Chernyavskaya, one of the top actresses at the National Youth Theater, is also very admirable in the static, presentational role of Amalia. Akunin gave her little more than a bit of spirited sultriness to play, which she does quite well.

The discovery here is Ilya Isayev as the enigmatic Zurov. Belligerent and tangibly dangerous as a forbidding hussar early on, he transforms before our eyes into a character of depth and feeling once the U-turns of the plot begin to play themselves out. The scene of Zurov unexpectedly saving Fandorin's life and his following exuberant dance are easily the high points in a show that most often plods ahead at an even keel.

"Erast Fandorin" plays at 7 p.m. on Sept. 14, 21, 22 and 26 at the National Youth Theater, located at 2 Teatralnaya Ploshchad. Metro Teatralnaya. Tel. 292-0069. Running time: 3 hours, 35 minutes.