In the past few years there have been several musicals set in the 50s and 60s, including Wedding Singer, Footloose, Saturday Night Fever, and Hairspray. Before that there were Grease and Bye Bye Birdie. Do we need another addition to this well-traveled time period? Maybe not, but then there is the new musical Cry-Baby that recently opened at the La Jolla Playhouse. It is terrific!

Cry-Baby is based, like Hairspray, on a film by John Waters. Set in Baltimore in 1954, it recounts the collision of two worlds: the world of bobby soxers and barbershop quartets, and the new world which came about with the introduction of rock and roll. It's also a classic tale of bad boy meets good girl.

Cry Baby, the character, is loosely based on the James Dean Rebel Without A Cause archetype - misunderstood and not nearly as bad as he seems. He meets and falls for Alyson, a sweater-wearing high school sweetheart whose boyfriend (well played by Christian J. Hanke) is head of the “Squares” and determined to keep Alyson away from Cry Baby. Added to this very familiar mix are Cry Baby's rag tag gang of followers, the rest of the Squares, Allyson's uptight mom (a very funny Harriet Harris), and my favorite character, Lenora, a delusional and very schizoid desperate teen in love with Cry Baby. Alli Mauzey plays the role and brings down the house with her number "Loose Screw" with its intended double entendre.

Cry Baby's gang consists of his ever-pregnant sister (Carly Jibson), a sexpot hanger-on (Lacey Kohl), and Hatchet Face (Cristen Paige). They are all quite wonderful in their respective roles. Rounding out the cast is Chester Gregory III as the Little Richard-sounding character Dupree. He is one hell of a singer. Cry Baby himself is played by the talented James Snyder. I only wish he was given more to do because the other characters are so colorful they almost upstage him. His is a difficult role because he must straddle comedy and romance, the hood and the lover.

What makes Cry-Baby outstanding are the combined efforts of the creative team. The wonderfully comical book is by Tony Award winners Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan. The music and lyrics are by Emmy winner David Javerbaum and Grammy nominee Adam Schlesinger. The colorful and beautifully coordinated costumes are by Catherine Zuber, the equally colorful sets by Scott Pask. The lively choreography is by Rob Ashford. Marc Brokaw does a super job as director, tying all these elements together.

Cry-Baby is right up there with the best of the aforementioned musicals. Individually, you might prefer the book of Hairspray or the dancing in Saturday Night Fever or the cast of Bye Bye Birdie, but I think this will be a smash hit when it goes to New York. Catch it now at the La Jolla Playhouse, through Dec. 16.