Respect: The Girl Em-Powered Musical

 Respect is an engaging and fun mix of music, song, theatrical shtick. Dorothy Marcic's script is based on her book, Respect: Women and Popular Music, and wittily broaches core feminist issues — sans sledgehammer — along with issues of love, family, heartbreak and relationship angst. It's also a fascinating historical overview of the lives of 20th-century American women, augmented with still photos ranging from album covers, newspaper clippings and advertising images from the '50s. The production soars on Peter J. Loewy's clever direction, and the four charming women who sing and dance to some 70-plus tunes such as, "I Will Survive," "I Wanna Be Loved by You," "Que Sera Sera," "Lollipop" and "Mister Sandman." Susan Carr George does yeoman's duty as a narrator and as Marcic's stage persona. Joined by NRaca, Jackie Seiden and Alet Taylor, this musical voyage seamlessly navigates a century of music and history with intoxicating style and humor. Ivy Thaide's costumes reflect some of the time periods, with emblematic styles such as miniskirts and knee-high boots. Musical director Jim Vukovich's piano accompaniment is nothing short of brilliant.
Sundays, 3 p.m.; Thursdays, Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 3 & 8 p.m. Starts: July 20. Continues through Aug. 31, 2008