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Well-liked Lee ready for 'Perfect' cabaret run, New York move

2012-10-01T01:16:49Z

photographs by Barry Wisdom /

Jerry Lee said his personal experience with romantic relationships wasn’t the most-likely reason that California Musical Theatre Artistic Director Glenn Casale cast him in CMT’s current production of “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.”

The 1996 Jimmy Roberts-Joe DiPietro Off-Broadway hit, which plays the Cosmopolitan Cabaret Sept. 28 through Nov. 18, takes a look at the trials and tribulations of hooking up, from first dates to marriage vows, from in-law interference to home-buying via a series of musical vignettes.

But like so many up-and-coming theater professionals, the Sacramento native’s days and nights have not been all about those meet-cutes, candlelight dinners and intimate conversations that dominate the lives of most 20-somethings, but have been consumed by classes, rehearsals and performances – as well as the occasional media interview.

“We actors might not admit it, but it’s kind of a weird reality,” said Lee during a rehearsal break phoner. “It’s a weird schedule you’re asked to keep – it’s a different kind of job, an interesting job, but this kind of schedule takes its toll especially when it comes to relationships.

“I focus a lot on my career. My big thing is that I really want to be a good professional actor. But it is time-consuming – I work while other people are out playing.”

Lee, who joins Melissa WolfKlain, Michael Dotson and Jennifer Malenke in playing multiple roles that showcase the “humorous absurdities” of coupling, hasn’t trained in vain, however.

Even as a student at Roseville’s Oakmont High School, Lee was performing regularly in the Greater Sacramento area for such companies as Garbeau’s and the Magic Circle Theatre thanks to supportive parents.

Following more study (and more roles) at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts at Santa Maria’s Allan Hancock College, he put his education and experience to work at such venues as Sacramento’s Studio Theatre and New Helvetia Theatre, Oregon Cabaret Theatre, and Sonora’s Sierra Repertory Theatre.

Along the way, he didn’t only collect glowing reviews (which he says he avoids reading), and a steady stream of job offers, but the admiration of fellow artists.

“I first saw Jerry in February 2005 playing Miss Bible Belt in ‘Pageant!’ at the Studio Theatre,” recalls actress-singer Rachel Songer. “Not only did he have a gorgeous tenor voice, but his comedic timing was uncanny. He was Miss Bible Belt. I was an instant fan.

“A few months later, I had the immense privilege of being able to share the stage with him in the four-person musical revue ‘Closer Than Ever.’ We had so much fun working together. He was still a teenager at the time, yet he was full of professionalism and charisma. I had just had my first child two months earlier, and was insecure about being back on stage so soon after giving birth. Jerry was so encouraging and made me feel like a princess worthy of the attention. Did I mention that singing with him is nothing short of delightful?”

Like Songer, actress-singer Martha Kight also recalls her experiences of sharing stages with a teenage Lee as more of a treat than a task.

"I first worked with the lovely Jerry Lee when he was 19, in Graham Sobelman's production of ‘Elegies’ by William Finn,” said Kight. “I was first struck by his amazing comedic abilities. This is a show about death, and Jerry took the comedy pieces and made them astounding. I have loved and adored him ever since. He has a huge heart.

“And when we mounted the show again five years later, he had grown so much as a person and an actor, and he was even more amazing. There was a piece we sang together, and he sat right next to me playing my son, and I was his dying mother, and we were on one last drive to visit the places we remembered in our town. Having Jerry next to me, fully committed, was a treasure. We broke each other's hearts every night.

Lee recalls his pre-Equity days as an immersion learning process, and appreciated the opportunity to soak up the combined knowledge of more-experienced performers and directors.

“I gained a lot of experience doing a lot of different things,” said Lee. “It was invaluable performance training.”

His flurry of roles in the last half-dozen or so years ultimately led to securing his Actor’s Equity card and professional roles at Sacramento Theatre Company – including 2011’s “Frankenstein,” “The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)” and “A Christmas Carol” – and a well-received performance in the Cosmopolitan Cabaret production of “Forbidden Broadway.”

Studio Theatre founder Jackie Schultz-Randall, who worked with Lee on “Pageant!,” “Closer Than Ever” and “Nunsense: Amen!,” speaks glowingly about what Lee brings to the table.

“Jerry is an extraordinary talent and is brilliant onstage,” said Schultz-Randall, “plus, he is a goofball! His voice could probably make the angels sing – literally! It is not all the time that a voice like his comes along wrapped in such a fine package, with sharp acting ability, comedic skills and leading-man good looks.“

There are a lot of talented performers out there, but Lee also has such comments as “funny” and “personable” under his résumé’s list of “Special Skills.”

“He has this fearlessness onstage, and that's one of the qualities I admire most in a performer – and he’s the funniest person I know,” said Kight. “When I got to perform with him in ‘The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)’ at Sacramento Theatre Company last year, I couldn't have been more excited. It was a truly hilarious show, great cast, and Jerry made me laugh every night.”

“Jerry’s delivery is well-timed, well-thought out and precisely executed,” added Schultz-Randall. “He’s funny as hell – a funny, little kid in a big guy’s body.”

It’s Lee’s charm and likeability that also makes him a good fit for “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” said Casale.

“He’s honest, he’s easygoing – he’s everyman,” Casale said. “Audiences have to see something in these guys that we relate to. That’s what works for him here.”

Lee said his career arc wasn’t entirely mapped out from the start, but charted by his own particular set of developing talents, his physical bearing, as well as by the economic realities now facing the theater industry. Large, expensive ensemble shows (straight plays and musicals) have been replaced by more intimate shows that rely heavily on multi-talented small casts whose members can handle dramatic soliloquies, comic patter, romantic ballads, physical comedy and novelty songs with equal ease.

“I seem to be doing a lot of four-person shows,” confirmed Lee. “With a small cast, you’re given so much material – it’s a large workload, with just you out there with a couple of other people. Sustaining your energy is challenging, but it’s also a lot of fun. In general, these small musical shows are supposed to be a good time for the audience. If you’re having a good time, the audience is usually having a good time.”

Lee stressed that despite the breakneck speed with which such shows as “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” go from table reads to opening night, it’s preferably to any other career he can think of.

“It’s funny sometimes to think of this as a job,” Lee said. “I’m having so much fun, and it really is exciting to go to work every day. You basically ‘play’ for a week creating something that’s playful and fun – while you’re having fun. It’s definitely a blessing.”

Lee, who has been eyeing a move to New York and a greater range of performance opportunities, said that following one additional local commitment following the Nov. 18 close of “Perfect” (a January concert staging of Neil Simon’s “Little Me” by New Helvetia Theatre), he’s going to climb that Big Apple tree.

“It’s crazy and it’s very exciting,” said Lee. “I’ve been saying I’m definitely going to do it since the middle of summer. I have so many classmates and friends in New York, and while I know I’ll hardly ever see them, I have friendly connections there, so it’s not like starting over. That really calms me a lot.”

One of those “friendly connections” is Casale. Casale, who mounted the West Coast premiere of a new stage adaptation of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” this summer at CMT’s Music Circus, said he’ll be in New York auditioning talent for another production of the “Mermaid” tale at the same time Lee is planning on making his move.

“I’m going to help him,” said the well-connected Casale, who was a fan of Lee’s even before he landed a part in “Forbidden Broadway” or was a featured member of the Music Circus subscriber series of cabaret performances. “He’s got the chops for it and the goods … now he’s just got to learn how good he is and take charge of it.”

To view additional dress rehearsal photographs of "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" by Barry Wisdom, please click here.

JUST THE FACTS

What: The Cosmopolitan Cabaret production of "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change"

When: Sept. 28-Nov. 18, 2012, with performances at: 7 p.m. Wednesdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays

Where: California Musical Theatre's Cosmopolitan Cabaret, 1000 K St., Sacramento, Calif. (across from the Crest Theatre)

Who: Book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro; music by Jimmy Roberts; directed by Glenn Casale; musical direction/accompaniment by Graham Sobelman; featuring Jerry Lee, Melissa WolfKlain, Michael Dotson and Jennifer Malenke

How much: single tickets start at $20 for all performances; call (916) 557-1999, or go online at tickets.com

"Forbidden Broadway" + Cosmo Cabaret Cast = Hiliarity

2012-02-02T00:17:23Z

Cosmopolitan Cabaret opened with the September 2008 to September 2009 run of “Forever Plaid,” which remains the biggest success as a show. “Forbidden Broadway,” which opened Friday night, may just rival “Plaid.”

There are lots of similarities. Both have talented creators, lots of hysterically funny scenes, songs, costuming, props and more.

"Forbidden Broadway" creator and continuing writer, Garrard Alessandrini, aims his sharp pen at mostly easy targets but in incredibly funny ways. You may never have seen “Annie,” “Les Miserables” or “Lion King,” but are still very aware of them and lots of other Broadway shows through popular culture.

Both have four very talented actors, who understand and are so good at delivering the material. There are two men in “Forbidden Broadway,” Mark Ginsburg and Jerry Lee, and two women, Jessica Reiner-Harris and Melissa Wolfklain, all credited as “cast.”

New York transplant Ginsburg, debuting with California Musical Theatre and the Cosmo Cabaret does a Jean Valjean performed by an actor overtaxed by the wrong key among the many roles for which he received long ovations.

Lee, who has been doing great things (“In Trousers,” “Musical of Musicals...,” “They’re Playing our Song”) since his return to his hometown after graduating from Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts a couple of years ago.

I started to say “New to Sacramento,” but Reiner-Harris is a hometown actor who has been quite busy acting, it’s just that she has been acting elsewhere. Her daring-to-take-on-the-diva Streisand is one of the priceless moments in the production. Reiner-Harris is one of those great discoveries for her home town theater scene.

Back for a third time at Cosmo Cabaret is Wolfklain (“A Grand Night for Singing,” “Suds”). The lights will go up on Wolfklain as Annie, an over-the-hill Annie, and the audience begins to chuckle at just the first sight of her character. They end in fits of laughter by the end of the song. Wolfklain definitely charms with her third Cosmo Cabaret production.

In a “West Side Story” spoof, Reiner-Harris and Wolfklain do Chita Rivera and Rita Moreno as dueling stage version Anita verses film version Anita which had both the characters and the audience yelling AYE! AYE! AYE!

Musical director Graham Sobelman (“Graham-A-Rama”) brings out great musical performances and also performs the lively piano score.

The characters would not be complete without the very character-defining costume creation for each character by Alvin Colt, working with the hair, wig and makeup designs of Christine Conklin.

Colt, who had an astounding career in costume design starting in the 1940’s, has spent 15 years designing for “Forbidden Broadway,” receiving a Drama Desk award in 2005 while in his late eighties. The pictures speak for themselves in regard to Colt’s designs.

The same thing can be said for Conklin’s hair wig, and makeup design. This is also her third production at Cosmo (“Suds,” “Bingo”), while also designing for Music Circus (“Camelot,” “Oliver!” and “I Do! I Do!”).

With all those costumes and costume changes someone is needed to keep them in order and get the actors changed - often in record time - and that would be Gabriella Nance as costume coordinator and head dresser. Nance costumed “Plaid” as well.

Three long-time Cosmo Cabaret associates complete the experience of “Forbidden Broadway.” Michael Peters has created a minimal budget-friendly single set, yet it fits so well with the whole humor of the look of an Off-Broadway production. His design is assisted by fellow longtime Cosmo Cabaret associate Sally Slocum’s lighting. Robert Sereno continues to engineer the great sound of Cosmo Cabaret productions.

Pulling all this together is director William Selby. Sacramento Press contributor Barry Wisdom has an excellent interview with Selby in his preview of “Forbidden Broadway.”

“Forbidden” has something else in common with “Plaid” in that both have several creative folks that have long histories with their respective productions. Selby has been an award winning actor, assistant director and now director, of numerous productions of “Forbidden.” His sense of timing, especially critical with this humor, is great.

With “Forbidden Broadway,” everything - the songs, music, costuming and acting - is geared to make the audience laugh. The Cosmopolitan Cabaret production of the Off-Broadway phenomenon hits on all levels and should become a Sacramento phenomenon.

Reiner-Harris says it all in her bio.

“(She) wants to thank the ridiculously fun cast and crew for making her laugh until she cries and snorts.”

With opening night’s audience giving loud ovations for scene after scene, I would say the audience felt the same way.

“Forbidden Broadway” Cosmopolitan Cabaret California Musical Theatre
Through March 18th, 2012
Information and Tickets

'Forbidden Broadway' vet Selby sings praises of Cosmopolitan Cabaret's game-for-anything cast

2012-01-27T03:04:26Z

William Selby remembers well when he first heard about a little cabaret show that was generating buzz among New York theater fans.

“I was a full-time actor at the time, and I had a roommate who was a waiter at this place – Palsson’s (Supper Club) on West 72nd Street,” Selby said. “He came home one night raving about something called ‘Forbidden Broadway’ and did a number for me.

“I fell off the bed laughing – I knew I loved it right then and there.”

Selby wasn’t the only one who embraced Gerard Alessandrini’s concept of a satiric revue that both celebrated and skewered musical theater.

Since its opening 30 years ago this month, “Forbidden Broadway” played almost continuously in New York (after more than 9,000 performances and 20 editions) before closing in 2009. Additionally, Alessandrini’s parodies of both popular and pompous Broadway tuners have spawned a worldwide cult fueled by a continuously updated score and countless tours and special engagements.

One such production, directed by Selby, opens in Sacramento Jan. 27 for an eight-week run at California Musical Theatre’s Cosmopolitan Cabaret.

Selby joined his first “Forbidden Broadway” cast in 1985 when he was selected for a Washington, D.C., production.

Just as he imagined, Selby found it was love at first spoof.

Beyond the joy of performing twisted versions of the Great White Way’s greatest hits to wildly appreciative audiences, Selby said he became a part of something more permanent than a Playbill listing.

“One of the nice benefits of being part of ‘Forbidden Broadway’ is that it’s a family,” he said. “I’ve made some of the truest friends I’ve had.”

“I’ve always come back to it because I love it,” Selby continued.

After 15 years of playing dozens of theater legends in their best and worst roles from San Diego to Singapore, Alessandrini and producer John Freedson suggested Selby join the team’s directorial staff.

“By that time, you know what works,” said Selby.

Since making his directorial debut in Minneapolis in 2001, he has led shows in New Orleans, Chicago, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Long Island, N.Y., and at sea onboard a Regent Seven Seas Cruise Lines voyage.

The production at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret marks his 15th show at the helm.

While he said he keeps “pretty busy” with “Forbidden Broadway,” both as a director and performer, the Emerson College alumnus continues to take acting gigs that are far from his “FB” roles, including playing the prompter opposite Keith Baker in “Barrymore.”

Selby said working on both sides of the “Forbidden Broadway” footlights gives him invaluable insight on what works – and who works – on stage.

He said he was quick to pick the four performers ultimately selected for Sacramento’s production from the L.A.-based auditions.

“I know in the audition if they can do it – it’s a matter of confidence,” Selby said.

Freedom from fear of failing is an important trait shared by successful “Forbidden Broadway” cast members, he continued. Most of those who try out aren’t professional impressionists, “But as we always say, you don’t have to be a great impersonator, just be willing to try.”

Selby gushed about the way his cast (Marc Ginsburg, Jerry Lee, Jessica Reiner-Harris, Melissa WolfKlain) has shed all self-doubts and vanity to take on the diverse numbers (and costumes) demanded of “Forbidden Broadway” performers.

Jerry Lee and Jessica Reiner-Harris have River City roots, and WolfKlain recently spent eight months at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret performing as the soubrette in “A Grand Night for Singing,” and Cindy in “Suds.”

Ginsburg is a Philadelphia native and former New Yorker now living in Los Angeles ~~Sacramento~~ .

“These guys have totally nailed it,” Selby said of the quartet that escorts their audiences through a whirlwind tour of classic and contemporary musicals from “Hello, Dolly!” to “Hairspray,” and from “Man of La Mancha” to “Jersey Boys.” “Even after all of these years, I don’t take the show lightly. They have to perform the numbers as if they’re actually doing the original shows.”

Selby stressed that one does not need to be a fan of said original productions – or musical theater in general – to enjoy a “Forbidden Broadway” revue.

“You don’t even need to be aware of all of the shows,” he said. “The costumes alone are hysterically funny.”

Selby said Alessandrini and his creative team are very conscious that their audiences aren’t all New Yorkers with easy access to the Times Square TKTS booth, and dismiss more-obscure titles from their list of shows ripe for mocking.

One of the things his New York-based team does in tailoring a “Forbidden Broadway” show for a particular city is to look at what tours recently played in that area. (“Mary Poppins,” which recently played at the Sacramento Community Center Theatre under the California Musical Theatre banner, is featured in Sacramento’s “FB” revue.)

But he also said they try not to underestimate audiences as they’ve found audiences in the hinterlands who were crazy for numbers culled from lesser-known shows.

Call “Forbidden Broadway” a parody, a spoof or a mock-musical, but Selby said it’s not an all-out farce.

“You can play it too broadly,” he said, switching gears to offer up an example of a Carol Channing impression gone awry.

“It can be grotesque,” he said. “There’s a level, and you have to keep that level.”

It’s a balancing act his current cast has perfected, he said.

“They’ll give you what you ask for – they’ve found capabilities even they didn’t know they had.”

Selby said all four shine as newly minted mimics.

“Jessica does a tremendous Patti LuPone. Marc’s Mandy Patinkin … well, I was proud of mine, but his is better. … Melissa – her Carol Channing is so funny. ... Jerry is a terrific Robert Goulet. These four have very strong voices.”

Along with kudos to his cast, Selby applauded the California Musical Theatre/Cosmopolitan Cabaret creative team, including Executive Producer Richard Lewis, Artistic Director Glenn Casale and ~~Company Manager~~ Cosmopolitan Cabaret Associate Producer Marlene Shire-Anderson.

“I’ve decided this is the best team by far that I’ve ever worked with,” said Selby. “They dot every ‘I,’ cross every ‘T.’”

JUST THE FACTS
WHAT: “Forbidden Broadway,” a musical revue parodying classic and contemporary musical theater hits from “Man of La Mancha” to “Wicked.”
WHEN: Jan. 27-March 18, 2012 (7 p.m. Wednesdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays)
WHERE: Cosmopolitan Cabaret, 1000 K St., Sacramento
TICKETS: $33-$43; call (916) 557-1999 or go online at www.tickets.com
FOR INFO: www.calmt.com

Editor's Note: Edits have been made to this article after publication.

It's a Grand Night at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret

2011-02-10T23:18:06Z

From “Oklahoma” (1943) to “The Sound of Music” (1959), composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, popularly know as Rodgers and Hammerstein, were arguably the largest contributors to what is known as “The Great American Songbook.”

Five of their musicals were major hits. Their work has been described as groundbreaking. Revivals and regional productions of their shows continue to this day. “South Pacific” recently ended a Broadway run, and “Oklahoma” was a big hit at the Sacramento Music Circus last summer. They won numerous awards, including Tonys, Oscars and Grammys.

Richard Rodgers rt. Oscar Hammerstein II photo: http://www.morethings.com

What sets Rodgers and Hammerstein apart is how enduring their songs are. Over half a century after they produced their last song, folks still hum, sing and otherwise enjoy the songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Sometimes people don’t even realize the song they are enjoying was written by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

The Cosmopolitan Cabaret’s current production of “A Grand Night for Singing” is a wonderful opportunity to re-experience how great Rodgers and Hammerstein’s music is for those of us who know or think they know their music. And for those who are somehow not familiar, this show is a great introduction to some of the best songs ever written.

Many of the arrangements are the same as, or very close, to the originals. There are some amazing new arrangements that show just how versatile this music can be. Who would have thought that the mother superior and the nuns of the convent’s query “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” could come from a lovesick male? (Everything’s up to date in) “Kansas City” from “Oklahoma” becomes a jazzy, almost “Manhattan Transfer”-like song.

The two men and three women in the cast have great voices and backgrounds for singing songs from the musical-theater genre.

Ryan Drummond has performed roles such as Corny Collins in “Hairspray,” Ozzie in “On the Town” and Leo Bloom in “The Producers,” and he has been in several productions of “Forever Plaid” around the country and many other musical productions. He has also appeared in film, television and video games (as the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog).

Justin Michael Duval originated the role of Potsie for the national tour of “Happy Days: A New Musical.” Duval has performed in some 15 shows preparing him to sing Rodgers and Hammerstein, especially shows such as “My Fair Lady,” “Brigadoon” and “Fiddler on the Roof.”

Lisa Ferris last performed in Sacramento in “Funny Girl” at Music Circus last summer. She has also performed in “Fiddler on the Roof” and a great deal of Shakespeare plays.

Jill Van Velzer has also performed in some 15 productions, including lead roles in Rogers and Hammerstein musicals “The King and I,” “Camelot,” “Carousel,” “Oklahoma!” and “The Sound of Music.”

Melissa Wolfklain just finished playing Cindy in the last Cosmopolitan Cabaret production, “Suds.” While she has not performed in another Rogers and Hammerstein musical, she has a strong musical-theater background with leads “Crazy for You,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie” and “42nd Street.”

They are accompanied by Chris Schlagel, who is also the musical director of the show. Schlagel is a beloved accompanist at many theaters in Sacramento, including Cosmo Cabaret (“Forever Plaid,” “My Way”), Sacramento Theatre Company (“A Christmas Carol,” “Five Course Love”), B Street Theatre (“The Big Bang,” “The Last Five Years”) and Music Circus.

Chri Schlagel from facebook

Even though the songs are plucked from their original productions, each one is a little story in itself. Director and Broadway veteran Mindy Cooper has created very nice choreography to accompany the songs, helping tell their stories and transition from piece to piece. Her 25 years of choreographing and directing on Broadway, regionally and around the world comes though in her staging of these great songs.

Cooper also has a great set design by Jamie Kumpf to work with. Cooper stages the songs all over the set, adding interest to the story the music is telling. The set has terraces on different levels and several pillars. The design is quite sophisticated, as is appropriate for a Rodgers and Hammerstein production.

Lighting design by Sally Slocum enhances the design and action. The look of the pillars and other design elements change with changes in lighting, giving a nice effect.

Everything in this Cosmo Cabaret production of “A Grand Night for Singing” comes together to showcase what is central to this show: the music of Richard Rodgers and the lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein II. The nearly 30 songs from 11 musicals are beautifully presented in a lovely setting.

One would be hard pressed to find a more lovely, romantic time than spending a couple of hours enjoying “A Grand Night for Singing” at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret.

"Suds, The Rocking ’60s Musical Soap Opera" at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret

2010-10-16T00:04:01Z

Cindy starts her work day at the laundromat. It’s her birthday. It’s going to be a great day. Then the mailman arrives. Letter one is from the IRS. Her aunt has died, and somehow Cindy is on the hook for back taxes. Letter two is from her pen pal boyfriend saying he has fallen in love with someone with better handwriting and is leaving her. Letter three informs her that her cat is sick. Cindy’s response: tie one leg of a pair of leggings to her neck and the other around an agitator. Suicide by washing machine.

So begins “Suds, The Rocking ’60s Musical Soap Opera.”

The play is well into its run at California Musical Theater’s Cosmopolitan Cabaret. As with most Cosmo Cabaret productions, the show is built around as specific music genre or period. With “Suds,” it is girl groups of the ’60s.

Who comes to save Cindy? A pair of bickering guardian angels named Dee Dee and Marge. Why are they bickering? The rule is that there can only be one guardian angel per case, so why are they both here, and who should leave?

A few other characters, “Everybody Else,” wander in and out to move the plot along.

What little plot there is though is just there to be a setup for the musical numbers, of which there are a lot. Forty-nine, in fact. Some of the numbers one can see coming. Others incite a chuckle for their surprise. Some are individual songs. Some are part of a melody that connects them together.

Melissa Wolfklain plays the innocent Cindy. Wolfklain has appeared in leading roles at the Fullerton Civic Light Opera and Broadway by the Bay. She is believable as the innocent Cindy who grows into the wiser Cindy by the end of the show. She has power in her solos while blending with the others in group numbers.

Eydie Alyson (Dee Dee) has appeared in numerous revivals and national tours of Broadway shows, including “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Les Miserables” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” She has recorded four CDs, and her television credits include ABC’s “All My Children.” All this experience shows in her performance of Dee Dee, the less-experienced guardian angel.

Marge, the guardian angel with a past, is played by Nanci Zoppi. While Zoppi has a strong training and performing background in New York City, she is also very well-known to local audiences.

She is probably best-known for her work at New Helvetia appearing in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” “Tic, Tic, ... Boom,” “Rocky Horror Show” and several other productions.

Zoppi has also toured with B Street’s Fantasy Theatre and often appears at the very popular Graham-A-Rama cabaret series. She is a great comic talent and has a beautiful voice. She is very good at making use of her “talents” for comic effect.

“Everybody Else” is played by Music Circus veteran Michael Dotson. Dotson has appeared in 30 productions over 11 years at the Music Circus, including this season’s “Spamalot.” As one would expect of a Music Circus vet, Dotson is a great dancer. He can also more than hold his own vocally with the rest of the cast.

Speaking of the Music Circus, everyone else involved with the production of “Suds” is a Music Circus veteran.

This truly applies to “Suds” director Glenn Casale.

Casale is an icon in Sacramento and around the world for his work in musical theater. He has worked with many of the biggest stars in Broadway musicals on Broadway and overseas. This has included Cathy Rigby (“Peter Pan”), Carol Burnett (“From the Top”), Tyne Daly and Charles Durning (“Ballroom”), and Mark Harmon and George Clooney in “Wrestlers.” Casale’s direction keeps the action moving to the pace of the music. He makes good use of the set design for the actors’ movements.

Joann Lewis has been involved with California Musical Theatre and the Music Circus for 27 years. For the last 15 years, she has been heavily involved with the CMT educational department, including as a dance instructor/choreographer for programs for children to seniors. Lewis’ vast knowledge of popular dance styles is evident in her choreography of these ’60s dance songs.

Music director Michael Paternostro’s only Music Circus connection so far has been playing Eddie Ryan in this season’s “Funny Girl.” He has appeared in more than 10 musicals on Broadway and other venues from “A Chorus Line,” the Broadway revival, to “Beauty and the Beast.” He was the musical director for several regional productions and has performed both as an actor and the piano player in a couple of productions, and he has even composed a musical: “Scary Musical-A New Musical.”

Marcy Froehlich (costume design), Michael Peters (scenic designer), Steve Odehnal (lighting designer), Robert Sereno (sound designer) and Judi Lewin (hair, wig and makeup) are also all veterans of California Musical Theatre/Music Circus productions. Each design element captures the bright colors and patterns of the early ’60s. All come together to create a wonderful look feel and sound of the ’60s.

Production Stage Manager Katherine Cannon has been with the Cosmopolitan Cabaret since the inaugural production of “Forever Plaid.” She has kept everything moving smoothly.

“Suds is a bright, bubbly production. There is nothing dark or heavy...even with an attempted suicide. The music of the early ’60s still retained the postwar giddiness with a pop beat. For boomers, they can be taken back to their happy teen years and young adulthood. For children of boomer parents who listened to ’60s oldie radio, they can go back to their childhood.

“Suds, The Rocking ’60s Musical Soap Opera.” Cosmopolitan Cabaret 1000 K Street at 10th. Through January 9, 2011 More information and tickets.