Pop singer and '80s icon Cyndi Lauper will end her brief run in David Henry Hwang's new musical Largo as part of New York Stage and Film's summer season at Vassar College's Powerhouse Theatre in Poughkeepsie, NY. Inspired by Dvorak's "New World Symphony," the theatrical venture "mixes blues, rock and the voices of our musical ancestors" to meditate on our nation's heritage. The final performance is July 8.

Lauper has occasionally donned her actor's hat. At the height of her fame, she starred in the ill-fated movie "Vibes." Since then she has taken roles in pictures such as "Life With Mikey" and the recent "The Opportunists." The singer rocketed to fame in 1984 with her hit album "She's So Unusual," which produced two number one singles: "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "Time After Time." Though she never quite repeated that success, she remained a familiar figure throughout the decade, known for her wildly changing hairstyles, her thrift store sense of fashion, her avid support of wrestling and her distinctive squeaky "Noo Yawk" speaking voice.

Lauper's music world colleagues Rob Hyman (who co-wrote "Time After Time") and Ricke Chertoff (who produced "She's So Unusual") will act as producers of Largo. Lauper will also produce. Ethan Silverman directs. Hwang is the author of M. Butterfly, Golden Child and the upcoming reworking of Flower Drum Song.

For information, call (845) 437-5599, or consult www.vassar.edu/powerhouse.

—By Robert Simonson