So here's Ann-Margret, sitting there in this zippy black pants outfit and pink shell with a long orange and black Harley-Davidson scarf around her neck.

        She's here through April 1, starring with Gary Sandy in Best Little Whorehouse in Texas at the Aronoff.

        “I do have a Harley. It's sitting at home, under a breezeway, calling my name. I've had one since 1972. This one is lavender with daisies painted on it.

        “But I'm not allowed to ride it while I'm in the show.”

        “Through the middle of 2002,” Sandy reminds her.

        “So I just go sit on it every now and then.”

        Meanwhile, she's making the most of her time here: She's already had Skyline — “that little hot dog thing? OOOh.” And Graeter's — “who gave you that? And why didn't I get any?” Sandy wants to know. Plus, we're guessing, a trip or two to Lebanon to see her friend Gerry Miller, her designer and former owner of Miller's Antique Mall.

        There are more plans, too: “Yes, I have them, but I won't tell you. Not yet.”

        Cans aplenty: Elsewhere at the Aronoff, here's a mighty good reason to stop in a bit before Whorehouse: Canstruction.

        It's an annual show for which local firms construct BIG art using canned goods. Look for it in the Weston Gallery 'til Monday.After that, the art is dismantled and the canned goods donated to the FreeStore/FoodBank, which has received 18,000 cans each of the past four years, says event co-chair Stephanie Kirschner.

        The competition is sponsored by the Society of Design Administration and the American Institute of Architects. This year, eight firms are competing for bragging rights and a chance to compete nationally. Among the entries:

        • I Think I Can, a locomotive, with sound effects, made of cans of beans, corn and Skyline chili.

        • Can-Am, a bi-wing plane, prop turning, made of cans of tomatoes, potatoes, Pringles and tuna, on a runway of dried beans.

        • Take A Closer Look, an illusive piece that looks like Union Terminal from one angle, a watermelon from another.

        There are also rainbows of Kool-Aid packets, a golf club made of Gold Star chili packets, a golf ball made out of tuna cans.

        On stage: The key word here is yet. And they aren't kidding.

        Referring to University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music's Not Famous Yet Showcase, an annual show produced by musical theater seniors that is taken to New York to show off the talent to agents and casting directors.

        Usually with a ton of success. Right now, seven recent grads are on Broadway, including Faith Prince in Bells are Ringing, Matt Bogart in Aida, Michelle Pawk and Sara Gettelfinger in Seussical, Eric Sciatta and Claci Miller in Annie Get Your Gun.

        Two others, Sinclair Mitchell and Keith Mahoney are here with Ann-Margret for Whorehouse. Another, Randy Harrison, stars in the cable TV series Queer as Folk.

        Which is why yet is the key word. And why the showcase is such a big deal in New York. But first, yep, they preview it here. There wil be two benefit performances at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at CCM; $50 a head.

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