Soap Opera Finish at ATL

Suds: The Rocking '60s Soap Opera, will conclude Actors Theatre of Louisville's 1992-93 Mainstage subscrip- tion season in the Pamela Brown Auditorium April 28 through May 3O.

More than 40 songs from the '50s and '60s will be featured in the musical comedy written by Melinda Gilb, Steve Gunderson and Bryan Scott — songs such as "Chapel of Love," "The Loco-Motion," "Respect," "Happy Birthday Sweet Six- teen," "The Look of Love" and "Where the Boys Are."

The Cinderella-like fairy tale takes place in a laundromat in Anywhere, USA, where the teen-age attendant Cindy (Jennifer Naimo) attempts suicide by strangling herself with a pair of pedal pushers attached to a washing machine. The reason? She has lost her pen-pal boyfriend and her cat — all on the same day. And besides that, it's her birthday

But in true soap-opera fashion, two guardian angels intervene. Marge (Adinah Alexander), a tough pro, and DeeDee (Julie Prosser), a wide-eyed trainee, argue about why each should have been assigned to Cindy separately, but agree to work together to find Cindy happiness – in the form of Mr. Right.

Daniel Baum weaves in and out of the musical's action as a postman, washer repairman, an elderly woman, a pocket protector salesman and (be alert, now) the angel Johnny.

Behind the scenes we find director Will Roberson and choreographer Javier Velasco, both of whom directed and choreographed the musical's premiere at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre. The music director is Tom Wojtas and the conductor is Scott Kasbaum.

Designers for Suds include set wizard Paul Owen, Karl E. Haas (lights), Laura Patterson (costumes), Darron L. West (sound) and Ron Riall (properties).

Reservations to Suds can be made by calling the Actors Theatre ticket office at 502-584-1205. Ticket prices range from $9 to $30 and vary according to seat location and performance time. Discounted tickets for children (ages 10-14) are $7 and are available for all performances except Friday and Saturday evenings. Group discounts for 10 or more are available by calling 502-585-1210. ATL accepts most major credit cards. The theatre is handicap accessible and equipped with an infrared listening system for hearing enhancement.