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A salute to women in his life ''Let's Put on a Show!" With more than 350 motion pictures, television programs, and other credits to his name, Mickey Rooney remains one of the most recognizable names and faces in the entertainment industry. ''Let's Put on a Show," an autobiographical play with music and video, will appear at Arlington's Regent Theatre tomorrow through Sunday, performed by Rooney and his wife, Jan. ''Jan and I have always loved the state of Massachusetts," said Rooney. ''And nothing could be better than a small vaudeville theater." Rooney, whose career began in vaudeville, was more than happy to go back to his roots, said Leland Stein, the Regent's director of marketing and booking agent. Preparations for the show have been going on since this spring, he said. ''When we got the flier from the show's representatives, we jumped at the opportunity," said Stein, who added that the Regent was especially eager to have Rooney perform on his 85th birthday tomorrow. ''Mickey Rooney is a huge act for the Regent," said Stein. ''He will bring great attention not just to the Regent, but to the town of Arlington." Rooney and his wife have been doing this show for more than five years. Describing the show as a combination of duets, jokes, film clips, impersonations, Hollywood tales, and a bit of dancing, Jan Rooney said, ''We are very proud of the reviews we have gotten. The show has been widely received by all ages, which is great." In ''Let's Put on a Show," the Rooneys reflect on Mickey's life in entertainment: from film, stage, vaudeville, and burlesque. According to the Regent and press kits for the show, Rooney will celebrate the women in his life, culminating with Jan, whom he married in 1978. ''She is a great entertainer," said Rooney about his wife. ''I absolutely love working with Jan onstage. We have great chemistry up there, and I love seeing people who enjoy it." While describing pieces of the show, Jan mentioned that video clips of Mickey and Judy Garland would be shown. Rooney and Garland first worked together in 1939's ''Babes in Arms," and starred in several other pictures, ending with ''Words and Music" in 1948. A frequent refrain in their movies -- ''Let's put on a show!" -- provided the title for his current show. Rooney, the recipient of an honorary Oscar award in 1983 for his film career, has also won Emmy, Peabody, and two Golden Globe awards. Among his best-known movies are ''Boys Town," ''National Velvet," and ''The Black Stallion." When the Regent Theatre was established in 1916, it was a vaudeville house that was on par with theaters in downtown Boston at that time, Stein said. It still resembles a classic vaudeville house, he added, though it has gone through a series of renovations, some of which are still taking place. Currently, the basement is being renovated with hopes to sublet the space to groups that want theater space. Having the same blueprint as the theater upstairs, the basement also includes a smaller theater area with a 100-person seating capacity and a private screening area for videos, said Stein. ''It has taken three or four years to renovate, build an audience, and put the Regent back on the map," he said. The Regent occasionally shows independent and special film presentations, but still emphasizes live dance, music and comedy. While somewhat reluctant to give away too much of what will be performed during the show, the Rooneys agreed that live theater performances are hard to come by these days. ''You don't get a lot of that anymore," said Jan. ''If you see a tear trickle down someone's face and a smile on another, then you know you're doing something right." ROCCO B. COLELLA © Copyright 2005 Globe Newspaper Company
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