COCKNEYS AT ‘OME AND GARDEN SHOW

Members of the South Coast Ballet will shuck their tutus and leotards to don tattered street clothes when they perform a “Salute to British Musicals” at the 32nd annual Southern California Home and Garden Show, opening Saturday and running through Aug. 24 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

“The dancers will be cockney street people who feel the fun of life and who have no cares in the world,” said James Jones, the company’s founding artistic director.

“The directors of the home and garden show had asked me if I could do something with the theme, which this year is ‘London Town.’ I thought of different options and settled on putting some musicals together.

“I tried to pick songs that were generic and not tied to the musicals in ways that meant you couldn’t take them out of context. And I linked them with these cockney characters.”

Jones’ 20-minute ballet will draw on music from “Oliver,” “My Fair Lady,” “Mary Poppins” and Broadway’s current Tony-award- winning musical, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.”

Selections include “Oom-Pah-Pah” and “It’s a Fine Life” (from “Oliver”), “With a Little Bit of Luck” and “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” (“My Fair Lady”) and “There You Are” (“The Mystery of Edwin Drood”).

Performing with the five South Coast Ballet dancers will be three singers from the UC Irvine Players. Accompaniment will be provided by a professional four-man combo (piano, percussion, bass and wind).

This is the second year that the company has performed at the home and garden show. Last year, Jones premiered a rock ballet set to Cyndi Lauper hits.

“We really enjoyed doing it last year, and we got a good response,” Jones said. “It gave people a chance to see ballet in a different setting and atmosphere.

“Also, it’s important to reach your audience. Some 150,000 people go to the home and garden show. That’s a lot of people. It’s fun and keeps the company going.”

South Coast Ballet will perform in the Hofbrau at the Anaheim Convention Center at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturdays and at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Sundays.