SAN DIEGO -- Remember all those bad 50s B-movies about women in prison? They were spoofed by Tom (Dream Girls) Eyen 30 years later in his play Women Behind Bars, which became a popular late-night show on both coasts.

Now Diversionary Theatre is reviving the camp classic in a production opening Feb. 19 and running through March 27. Lois J. Miller directs.

Eyen's cast of characters includes the maniacal butch matron; her idiot assistant; the grandmotherly "lifer" who killed nine husbands; the blonde bombshell and the lobotomized inmate who keeps the audience guessing what she'll do next.

"We're looking forward to premiering this work for San Diego audiences," said artistic director Wayne Tibbetts. "We'll be doing the usual 'Diversionary twist' on the play. It will be presented as a black and white movie with slashes of color a la 'Pleasantville.' The audience will also be separated from the actors by jail bars."

The cast includes Devlin (as The Matron), Laura Bozanich, Flo Somerville, C. Taylor, Pat DiMeo, D. Candis Paule, Darlene Cleary, Celeste Innocenti, Erin Cronican, Daren Scott and Dixie King Wade. The Diversionary Theatre is at 4545 Park Blvd. Call (619) 220-0097.

-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent