Rita Gardner, a princess of American musical theatre for her history making role as the original "girl," Luisa, in The Fantasticks, takes her recent one-woman cabaret show, Try to Remember: A Look at Off Broadway, to Round House Theatre in Silver Spring, MD, July 1.

The appearance, with Alex Rybeck as musical director, coincides with the Round House staging of The Fantasticks, which continues to July 2.

Gardner returned to the long-time Off-Broadway home of that still running musical, the Sullivan Street Playhouse, in February 2000 to perform Try to Remember: A Look at Off-Broadway. The cabaret show, directed by Barry Kleinbort, examines various Off-Broadway productions which have opened in the years since Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt's landmark tuner debuted, 40 years ago.

Gardner's many credits include On a Clear Day You Can See ForeverA Family Affair, Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, Pal Joey, The Snowball, Steel Magnolias and Ben Franklin in Paris opposite Robert Preston. On television, she has appeared on "Law & Order," opposite her old Fantasticks colleague, Jerry Orbach.

Tickets for Try to Remember are $30. Round House is at 12210 Bushey Drive in Silver Spring. For information (301) 933-1644 or visit the web site at www.round house.org. -- By Kenneth Jones
and Robert Simonson