Yellowknife (Nov 26/04) - Brenda Lowen is busy channelling her inner Doris Day to play the female lead in My Boyfriend's Back (And There's Gonna be Laundry).

The original dinner theatre production by Christopher Foreman sets glittering musical numbers to 1960s songs to tell the story of a good old-fashioned romance.

"The songs from the '60s really give it that air of innocence," said Lowen, who plays the improbably named ingenue, Gloria N. Excelsis.

"The stuff nowadays is so upfront and blatant," she said of modern pop music.

The lyrics from the Beach Blanket Bingo-era tend to beat around the bush more, she said.

In the musical, Gloria meets and falls for the dashing Johnny Angel, played by Shad Turner, who gets in over his head when he starts playing poker with a card shark.

The scenes take place in a bar, where Gloria, Johnny, and Sherwood are patrons, with the rest of the cast playing the staff. So it's appropriate that the play is happening at Hot Shots, the pub that recently opened in Forty Below Golf's old space in the Stanton Plaza.

Tickets include dinner, after which the show starts on an improvised stage.

"We're right in front of the dart boards," said Lowen.

Rest assured, the dart boards will be covered during the performance to discourage real bar patrons from jabbing the actors as they sing.

Originally, the play was scheduled for five performances, from Wednesday, Dec. 1 to Sunday, Dec. 5. But due to a licensing problem, the Sunday matinee has been cancelled.

Most of the cast members have worked together before, in various combinations, and Lowen, Raymond Hussey, Pete Ardrey, Leisha Rozee and Minda Komi, have all competed in the Legion's North of 60 Idol contest.

"We are such a fun mixture of strong personalities," said Lowen.

The cast of 11 has been in rehearsals since October and with less than a week to go before opening night, they have just one more obstacle to face.

"Trying to find the right undergarments is proving to be a challenge," said Lowen.

The glittery costumes are elaborate and have low backs or halter necks or slit skirts, which require a lot of experimentation with various combinations of foundation garments.

"At least I only have four costume changes," she said. A few of the other cast members have six or seven.