THEATER REVIEW : Queenly ‘Beehive’ Hums With Sweet Nostalgia : An exuberant six-woman ensemble brings back the spirit of the ‘60s in a period-perfect production of the musical comedy.

Yes, baby boomers, you can go home again. If you missed the sweet nostalgia of the Old Globe’s “Forever Plaid” or the recently closed “Boomers” at Lamb’s Players Theatre in National City, you’ve still got until New Year’s Eve to make a beeline for “Beehive” at the Theatre in Old Town.

And nostalgia aside--it’s worth the trip.

Remember pink fishnet stockings? Sonny and Cher? The revolution from the labor-intensive beehive hairdos to the natural look? It’s clear that director Paula Kalustian does; her fine six-woman cast conjures up the period to perfection. But what makes “Beehive” special is its emphasis on women singing to women about women’s concerns.

It’s such an intriguing premise, one wishes there was a bit of exploration of what happened in the minds and hearts of women as the popular songs segued from “My Boyfriend’s Back” to “R-E-S-P-E-C-T.”

Absent that, the show, created by Larry Gallagher, is still irresistible fun. The performers, five of whom are now in the third incarnation of this hit, seemed determined to get the audience clapping and stomping and singing along--and they succeeded, right down to a standing ovation from a sold-out crowd Sunday night.

The songs, under the confident musical direction of Terry O’Donnell, may be the heart of the piece, but this show is a complicated collaborative element in which all the parts have to jell.

As important as any character are the swift costume changes designed by Jill K. Anthony, showing in a flash how poodle skirts gave way to the mod look and later, the torn bell-bottom pants of Woodstock.

Nick Reid’s set--a giant jukebox in which the song titles light up--creates the through line; the actresses, introducing themselves to the audience with their own names, are supposedly listening to the jukebox, paying homage to the “big sisters” of music who guided them through their loves, losses, longings and dreams.

And yet it all comes back to the six performers whose talents must mirror the magnetism of the women they imitate. Happily, they all deliver.

Tajma Soleil, a lovely dancer, has the only uncertain singing voice, but her devastating send-up of a self-obsessed Diana Ross is one of the highlights of the show, particularly as Yolanda Kelker and Lisa Payton shoot her dirty looks as backup Supremes.

Payton, too, does a super Tina Turner--with just the right touch of self-mockery--while Kelker is electrifying just by using her big voice to sing it straight as Aretha Franklin.

*

Rachel Lynn, Colleen Sudduth and Tracy Venner all move expertly from the comically slight mainstream pop music of the early ‘60s to the soulful seriousness of the end of that decade. Lynn’s metamorphosis from Connie Francis’ sweetly soaring “Where the Boys Are” to Janis Joplin’s wildly ragged “Piece of My Heart” is particularly stunning.

Kalustian, working with Anthony as costume designer and choreographer, also updated the show for the season with a few Christmas touches. They’ve added a spirited “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and some festive holly sprigs and wreaths in another “Beehive” highlight: the party Leslie Gore (Sudduth) gives with girlfriends Connie Francis, Brenda Lee (Venner) and Annette Funicello (Payton) wearing Mickey Mouse ears and perpetually smiling with a Skippy peanut butter jar in hand.

Bring your friends. This is a party no one should miss.

* “Beehive,” Theatre in Old Town, 4040 Twiggs St., San Diego. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 p.m.; Sundays, 5 p.m. Ends Dec. 31. $16-$22. (619) 688-2494. Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes. A Theatre in Old Town production in association with Frances Parker School. Created by Larry Gallagher. Directed by Paula Kalustian. With Yolanda Kelker, Rachel Lynn, Lisa Payton, Tajma Soleil, Colleen Sudduth and Tracy Venner. Musical direction: Terry O’Donnell. Sets: Nick Reid. Costumes and choreography: Jill K. Anthony. Lights: R. Craig Wolf. Sound: Terrence Shea. Stage manager: Jenny R. Friend.