Singin' about the 'burbs

When the Chameleon Theatre Circle needed a place to practice its new musical production "Suburb," the best candidate that emerged was a vacant storefront in a Burnsville strip mall, wedged between a Weight Watchers and a martial arts center.

And so this is the setting where the cast of "Suburb" (which includes five Minneapolitans, two St. Paulites and one card-carrying suburbanite) sings about barbecues, reasonable zoning regulations and lawns in need of a stern trim.

On Friday, the cast moves over to the more-theatrical Burnsville Performing Arts Center for a 12-date run through May 2.

At the center of the story is a young couple pregnant with their first child. The husband, Stuart -- played by Minneapolis duplex dweller Adam Scarpello -- rhapsodizes about how grand life could be in the suburbs, with its big parks, green lawns and grilled slabs of meat. His wife, Alison -- played by Uptown apartment renter Kecia Rehkamp -- has a different view, summed up like this: "No #@!*ing way / Am I moving / To the undead land / Of the dumb and bland."

At the other end of the spectrum is a widower, Tom, played by real-life Apple Valley lawn-owner Mark Kreger, who is deciding whether to give up his cherished suburban home of more than 40 years and move into a retirement community in Florida. Mixing it up for comedic relief and romantic interest is the caustic Rhoda Ravitch, of Rhoda Ravitch Realty, the self-proclaimed "Home-Selling Homecoming Queen" with "Collagened lips / And post-partum hips."

Originally scored by a composer-lyricist duo who both grew up in the New Jersey 'burbs, the show "Suburb" premiered off-Broadway in 2001. The production was nominated for a handful of "Best Musical" awards from the Outer Critics' Circle, the Drama League and a few more. It was performed at the Attic Theatre in Appleton, Wis., in 2008, but this is first time the show will be seen in Minnesota, said director Garrick Dietze, who last year directed Chameleon's well-received musical, "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change."

"We loved this production because it's all about making choices that are right for you," said Dietze, who happens to be a contented townhouse owner in Burnsville. "The city can be a great place to raise kids. At the same time, living in the suburbs doesn't mean you have to lose your soul."

Alyssa Ford is a Minneapolis freelance writer.