Downstairs Cabaret has heavily hyped its new show, SHOUT! The Mod Musical, as the next I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. Given the astounding run of the latter production --- seven years and counting in Downstairs Cabaret's Windsor Street location --- SHOUT! has some big shoes to fill. Thankfully the cast features five talented women, an amazing catalogue of songs, and some groovy boots just made for walking. It's frothy, infectious fun.

SHOUT! opened off-Broadway in July 2006, and DCT is the first theater to host the production outside of New York City. The show is essentially a revue that pays homage to the "mod" music, style, and culture of 1960's London. Like fellow revues Forever Plaid and Five Guys Named Moe, the story is told via broad characters meant to encapsulate the various roles of the time. Orange Girl is the simple, domestic type; Green Girl is sexually liberated; Blue Girl is the stuck-up aristocrat; Yellow Girl is the Beatles-obsessed Yank; Red Girl is the clumsy, awkward teen becoming a woman. However, unlike Plaid and Moe, SHOUT! features a slightly meatier narrative thread, as each of the girls experiences an actual storyline. Many of them touching on important developments of the '60s, including the advent of birth control, the emergence of gay culture, and the sexual revolution.

Most of the story is told through 60's songs that vaguely relate to whatever the girls are going through. The tunes are punctuated by occasional backlit dance sequences and Laugh In-style comedy bits, plus the girls reading from copies of the fake magazine SHOUT! as a smart way to clue the audience into the passage of the years.

But you're not going to see SHOUT! for the story; you're there for the music. The catalogue is impressive. I've always considered myself more of a Dusty Springfield man, but her contemporary Petula Clark gets the most attention. "Downtown," "Don't Sleep in the Subway," "I Know a Place," "A Sign of the Times," "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love," and "Colour My World" are beautifully arranged, often sped up a bit and split into five-part harmony. Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man" (a highlight), "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" and "Wishin' and Hopin'" make the cut, making Dusty the other star of the show.

The current cast hails from New York City. Just when you think you've picked out the strongest player, another comes in with a solo and changes your mind. Each has her own strong suits, but standouts include Green Girl Toni Carrington, who arguably has the most fun role and kills with her "Goldfinger" number and convincing climax scene; Yellow Girl Holly Burton, whose bluesy voice shines on "Son of a Preacher Man"; and adorable Red Girl Brooke Reams, who is a powerhouse singer --- and a dead ringer for Ugly Betty's America Ferrera in that wig and glasses.

DCT keeps the staging sparse, with a backdrop consisting of hanging LP records and large bead curtains for exits and entrances (the excellent house band sits on the right of the stage). Kudos to the often-inventive choreography, especially in the "Goldfinger" and "Don't Sleep in the Subway" numbers; the fan bit was kind of out of left field, but it works.

The show is a tight, sprightly hour and a half without an intermission --- these girls barely even stop to breathe. The current cast plays through March 4, when the show hits the road for a few weeks to Arizona. Try to catch it before then. SHOUT! is scheduled to return to Rochester for an open-ended engagement later this spring.

SHOUT! The Mod Musical | Through March 4 | Downstairs Cabaret Theatre Center, 540 East Main Street | 585-325-4370 | $24-$27 | www.downstairscabaret.com.