NEIGHBORS / SHORT TAKES : Stand-In : Director-author takes the stage when the lead actor for “Rock Radio KIDZ” disappears.

Santa Barbara disc jockey Jeff Hanley will appear on stage Friday night at the Theatre-by-the-Sea in Ventura Harbor Village. Surprised to hear that? You’re probably not as surprised as Hanley.

Hanley wrote, and directs, the rock musical “Rock Radio KIDZ,” but he had no plans to act in it--and certainly not to perform the lead role. That was until three weeks ago when the original lead actor apparently had a change of heart.

“One Monday night, when he was supposed to be at rehearsal, he didn’t show up,” Hanley said. “We haven’t seen him since.” Hanley, who has acting experience, looked around for a replacement for his AWOL thespian, but found no one better suited than himself.

“I knew the part. I was fortunate that it was in my age range and vocal range, and I had been standing in during practices when he wasn’t around,” Hanley said. “I like doing both (acting and directing). I just don’t like doing both at the same time.”

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A musical note: “Rock Radio KIDZ” centers around a small radio station in an unnamed California coastal town. Life at the station changes dramatically when a legendary radio man from New York comes in to shape up the place--firing people, making other changes, causing nerves to jangle. While at the station, the hot-shot also uses his clout to get Eric Clapton to do a local concert.

Meanwhile, an aging punk rocker from England (played by Hanley) is faced with deportation. Fortunately, KIDZ’s female morning DJ has taken a liking to him and wants to help him launch a comeback--she thinks opening for Clapton would be a good starting point. Some career success, she hopes, will persuade the Immigration and Naturalization Service to allow her dream guy to remain in America.

Hanley said the musical, inspired by the music of longtime friend Arthur O’Donnell, comes from his 20 years in the radio business. “It’s not autobiographical by any means, but there are people and incidents from my experience in there,” he said, “at least composite people.”

So the big question: Does Eric Clapton play himself in the musical? “He’s an unseen element of the show,” Hanley said.

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We’re no mind readers, but we suspect Allan Pell takes his blackjack seriously. Maybe it’s because he will be leading a “Terminator Blackjack” seminar at the Camarillo Community Center on Saturday.

Or maybe it’s because of his no-nonsense approach. His approach to the game: “Money, money, money,” he said. “It’s fun when you win, but when you hit a losing streak you have to step away and realistically reassess everything you’ve done and attack it again.” (Didn’t Norman Schwarzkoff say something to this effect?)

Pell said the first half of his five-hour gambling lesson will show people how to “play even with the house (casino) forever, they will never win and never lose.” The second half, he said, “deals with how to get the advantage on the house in the long run.” Everybody who attends his lecture, he said, will walk away enlightened.

“When people go gambling they think it’s a fantasy experience--that glitz, the show girls and all that. They get caught up in it,” he said. “I strip it down to the cold, ruthless reality of what they’re doing. The way I teach it, you’ll be like the Marquis de Sade, somebody like that.”

But can’t the game just be fun? “I don’t see anything fun in losing your shirt,” Pell said. “Playing with a 100% loss expectation . . . what’s the fun of that?”

Okay. Now for that first gamble: Pell’s course costs $34 per person.