This week in the South suburbs, there is one high school musical playing. "My One and Only" is on the stage starting Wednesday at Baldwin High School.

The musical's book, by Peter Stone and Timothy S. Meyer, premiered on Broadway in 1983, staring Twiggy and Tommy Tune. It tells the adventures of a barnstorming pilot and a champion swimmer in the late 1920s.

But plot is almost incidental to the George Gershwin music on which the story is based, and includes familiar, oh-so hum-able tunes such as, " 'S Wonderful," "Strike Up the Band" and "Nice Work If You Can Get It."

But "it's not about the music, it's not about the dancing and it's not about an eccentric pilot," assistant Director Anita Reck said.

"Chris Tranter [director] wanted the students to learn about life in the 1920s."

But Ms. Reck acknowledges that the show does have some very attractive entertainment value, mainly the big production numbers.

"It's a good dance show and we have a lot of good tappers," she said.

Reviewers often referred to the work as one of the 'dancingest' shows on Broadway in decades, she said.

Ms. Reck said the school was able to put so many tap dancers on stage at once because of choreographer Diane Meredith's ability to integrate dancers with varying skills.

"She has the knack for choreographing that lets the less-trained students keep up and gives the ones with more training more to do," she said.

The young performers are having fun with the campy flapper-era costumes and even the lingo.

Historical names such as General "Black" Jack Pershing and Greta Garbo were foreign to the young actors, as were words such as boarding house [a temporary residence], Halvah, [a candy made with sesame seeds and honey], and, uh, cow flop [think about it].

That being the case, Mr. Tranter and Ms. Reck thought the audience would need a little assistance as well, so they are including a glossary in the program to help with the translations.