Last night I dropped into a rehearsal of "Off the Record VI: Place Your Bets!" (coming Oct. 5 at the Byham Theater). As producer of the annual spoof of Pittsburgh newsmakers, I usually don't have time to attend rehearsals, but this was a rare chance to touch base with the cast and be assured that the show is well underway under director Greg Lehane and music director Camille Rolla.

	Karen Prunczik, left, and Catherine Baker Knoll: Separated at birth? Click photo for larger image.

Appearing in "Off the Record" for the first time this year is Karen Prunczik, who made her 1980 Broadway debut as a tap-dance phenom in "42nd Street" and then famously married the legendary, much-older producer, David Merrick. I also saw her 15 years later in a brief Broadway revival of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."

In "Off the Record," Karen plays Catherine Baker Knoll, and she just happened to have a picture of herself and the Lt. Gov. I may be crazy, but Karen actually looks like she might be Knoll's daughter.

So now I wonder if we can find some pictures of other "Off the Record" performers with the characters they play, such as Chuck Aber and Ed Rendell, Michael Fuller and Rick Santorum or Michael Moats and Cyril Wecht. We're looking!

But back to Karen, who told me about a recent Cleveland reunion of 150 former Kenley Players performers to pay tribute to that irrepressible impresario, John Kenley, who turned 100 in February. Kenley's company was long a staple of Ohio's summer entertainment and employed and entertained many from this area. Famously, he led a very different winter life in Clearwater, Florida. He has had a long and colorful life that deserves full biographical treatment

But this recent weekend at a Cleveland Marriott was all about nostalgia and paying tribute. Mario Melodia helped organize the Pittsburgh area participants and arranged a small program, including some 50 of Kenley's former performers singing a version of "Hello, Johnny." Karen says it was a great weekend, starting with reminiscences over cocktails on Friday, then rehearsals on Saturday and the event Saturday night.

Karen reports that Kenley asked her at one point, "How's your sweet father?" "He died, John." "Oh, honey, everybody died." "You didn't." "And I'm not going to!"

Kenley still lives by himself and is able to get around with just a cane. "He's sharp as a whip," Karen says. At one point he took the mic, looked up toward the ceiling and told story after story after story. It is said that he has an unpublished autobiography, which is something I hope we someday see.