Sally Mayes, the big-voiced character actress who made good in Broadway's She Loves Me and Welcome to the Club, and Off-Broadway's Closer Than Ever and Pete 'N' Keely, unveils her new cabaret act, Boys and Girls Like You and Me, Nov. 6-24, at Arci's Place is Manhattan.

The evening is inspired by — but not limited to — songs Mayes recorded for her most recent album, "Boys and Girls Like You and Me," which features a clutch of obscure numbers cut from Broadway shows (the title is a Rodgers and Hammerstein song from Oklahoma!), but also several fetching ditties written recently (such as Carol Hall's "I Dream in Technicolor").

Mayes says the recording and the act represents "a journey through different stages of love and an examination of life's loves through song." Musical director Johnny Rodgers accompanies.

Mayes' most recent theatrical venture was the Off-Broadway conceptual concert, Pete 'N' Keely, about a fictional singing couple (read Steve and Eydie) who reunited for a live TV special years after their divorce. A recording is expected to be released.

Performances of Boys and Girls Like You and Me play 9 PM Tuesday-Thursday and 8:30 PM and 11 PM Friday-Saturday. Tickets are $30 with a $15 minimum. Arci's Place is at 450 Park Avenue South between 30th and 31st streets. For reservations, call (212) 532-4370 or visit arcisplace.com. *

To view the December 2000 Playbill On-Line Brief Encounter with Sally Mayes, click here.

— By Kenneth Jones