The 2005 off-Broadway hit musical "Altar Boyz," about a Catholic boy-band "with beats of gold and Christ-love," has its regional premiere at Southern Rep on April 10.

The musical is more a spoof of boy bands than Catholics, so the only people likely to be offended are Jonas Brothers, *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys fan club members.

The five actors "have to play the characters so innocently," co-director and choreographer Kelly Fouchi says. "They never believe that they are spoofing it. It's their life, and they're here to spread the word."

Co-director Gary Rucker and his production company, Four Front Theatre (also comprising Fouchi, Lucas Harms and Megan Harms), are committed to presenting professional productions of recent new work to local audiences. This is the third production in their inaugural season being staged at Southern Rep, following "Gutenberg! The Musical!" and "The History Boys."

The show takes place at the final concert of the Altar Boyz' world tour, and audiences can expect a pop-dance party of original songs by composers Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker, all with an irreverent touch: "Jesus called me on my cell phone / The clearest voice I ever heard. / He beeped me. He faxed me. / He e-mailed my soul!"

The cast members -- William Bryant, James St. Juniors, Brian Falgoust, P.J. McKinnie and Keith Claverie -- auditioned in November, began rehearsing vocals in January and added choreography after Mardi Gras.

Bryant plays Matthew, the leader of the band. "He has to keep it all together, step up to the plate and give support to his band mates and the audience," the actor says. Matthew croons to one special girl, singing "you make me want to wait."

St. Juniors is Juan, the "wannabe Latin lover," he says, who sings the Ricky Martin-like "La Vida Eternal" about not being scared of the afterlife.

Falgoust plays Mark, the "Baby Spice" of the group, a little fey, an outrageous "ball of energy, very in your face," Falgoust says. "He lets out a little sass sometimes."

McKinnie is Luke, the bad boy in the band, "always trying to throw down a bit, trying to party."

And Claverie plays Abraham, a Jewish singer who tries to fit into the band.

Rucker says this show is by far the most ambitious Four Points has staged, requiring that each of its five co-stars be triple threats: able to act, sing in boy-band harmony and dance virtually nonstop for 90 minutes, without the aid of a vocal track.

The goal, Fouchi says, is "to get the boys to the point that when they're in front of a screaming, excited audience, the audience won't even realize how hard the cast is working."

They've been polishing and adding bits to the staging the past few weeks.

"I don't know who's going to have more fun," Claverie says, "us or the audience."