Children's Theatre has a real charmer in the original musical The Rockin' Adventures of Peter Rabbit, which is not your parents' cottontail tale.

"It started with an idea David (Kisor) had, that Peter Rabbit be a young rocker dude," laughs collaborator Mary Tensing.

Kisor takes the genesis even further back, when Children's Theatre artistic director Jack Louiso suggested marking the 100th anniversary of the Beatrix Potter classic with "a Peter Rabbit sort of like Jim Borgman's `Zits.' "

It wasn't hard creating a winsome update, the writing partners agree, and it turns out that even as a guitar-toting teen, Peter can't stay out of Farmer McGregor's garden.

"You've got those universal themes," Tensing observes. "Rebellion, striving for your own voice, and just being silly as all get-out."

Kisor creates more of the infectious songs that seem to tumble out of his pen in those swell Ensemble holiday musicals (written with Joseph McDonough).

As usual, Kisor references a range of musical styles, with plenty of old-time rock 'n' roll for Peter (Jake Hill), a little disco, a touch of Barry Manilow, some classic R&B. That was for Spring Starr Pillow, who's playing Mother Rabbit.

There's even some rockabilly for the ghost of Peter's dad, who hasn't quite left the building.

"I loved (writing) it," laughs Kisor. "I could spend a week in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and be content."

Next up for Tensing: She's directing Find Your Voice for Cincinnati Opera's outreach program and will perform in Casey at the Bat, which closes the Children's Theatre season.

Kisor says the next Ensemble holiday show is "under discussion." He's writing a new musical adaptation of Little Women for the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music's prep department (it will be produced in 2004) and "I'm pretty much commissioned out this year."

Rockin' Adventures has public performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. next Sunday at the Taft Theatre.

For reservations and information, call the box office at 562-4949 or visit www.ticketmaster.com.

Arts on parade: Reds Opening Day Parade is going to be a big league event for the arts, too. Watch members of the League of Cincinnati Theatres dressed as some of the local theater scene's best characters.

Theater and baseball? "Hey, the theatre league hits a home run for great entertainment all season long," says Ensemble's D. Lynn Meyers.

Black theater: The Cincinnati BlackTheatreBration kicks off this week with Master Harold ... and the Boys, produced by Queen City Off-Broadway at Plush (upstairs at Carol's on Main.)

South African playwright Athol Fugard's chilling exploration of apartheid is powerhouse theater. Reggie Willis, Derek Hake and Queen City artistic director Lyle Benjamin star. Master Harold continues through March 21. Call 681-2043 for reservations and information.

Following in April are:

• Breath Boom, April 2-5 in Ensemble Theatre's Off-Center/On-Stage series (421-3555).

• Two Trains Running, April 10-26 by Know Theatre Tribe at Gabriel's Corner (300-5669).

• A Raisin in the Sun, April 17-27 by Cincinnati Black Theatre Company at Arts Consortium (381-0645).

Present a ticket stub for one show at the box office and get a $2 discount.

Joplin in Dayton: In January, we had a chance to see Playhouse fave Robert Elliott star in Proof as the brilliant but unstable father of heroine Catherine.

Now you can see another Playhouse vet, Joneal Joplin, essay the role for Human Race Theatre Company in Dayton.

Joplin has all but taken up residence in Southwestern Ohio this season, starring in Ah, Wilderness! and doing his annual turn as Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at Playhouse, then moving on to Copenhagen at Ensemble.

At Human Race, David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize winner will be a real father-daughter act as Jop shares the stage with daughter Jennifer, playing the troubled Catherine.

Proof opens Thursday and continues through March 30. It will be performed in the Loft Theatre (adjacent to the Victoria Theatre) at 138 N. Main St.Contact the box office at (937) 228-3630 or (888) 228-3630 or online at www.ticketcenterstage.com.

Protest a success: Cincinnati's edition in the worldwide war protest The Lysistrata Project (1,000 readings in 50 countries) was a smashing success.

More than 300 people came to Xavier's Gallagher Theater on Monday, among them Steven Rattazzi, on the board of THAW (Theaters Against War), freshly arrived in Cincinnati to start rehearsals for The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer at Playhouse.

The 29 readers were pretty much a Who's Who of the local theater scene, surrounding Annie Fitzpatrick in the title role.

Joining her on stage: Dale Hodges, Sherman Fracher, Regina Pugh, Corinne Mohlenhoff, Burgess Byrd, Michael Bath, Lyle Benjamin, Michael Shooner, Brian Isaac Phillips, Matt Johnson (the latter five playing stupid males in the raucous anti-war comedy.)

"We planned to get the audience involved by leaving the house lights up and putting up cards for "applause" or "boo" but people started applauding lines spontaneously very early," says coordinator Kristin Dietsche.

"The actors really took off, and when it was over people talked about a great sense of community after the reading. We had a hard time getting people to leave."

The event raised more than $1,400 for the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center.

Now playing: Ensemble Theatre presents the world premiere of Warren Leight's latest, James & Annie, an interracial love story set in the years after VJ Day, continuing through March 30.

Featured are Cezar Williams, who's just finished a TV pilot - "a cooking show about being young and single in the city"- Marin Ireland, fresh from Caryl Churchill's Far Away at New York Theatre Workshop; and Todd Almond, CCM grad and ETC's Hedwig.

In his spare time, Almond's preparing to release a new CD, Deep North Woods, on which he sings his own songs and even plays the piano, backed by Hedwig pals John Curley, Michael Horrigan and Bill Alletzhauser.

Call 421-3555.

E-mail jdemaline@enquirer.com.