The first time Kathy Halenda stepped onstage at Riverside Center Dinner Theater, it was five days before opening night for "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas."

A seasoned actress, she was recruited at the last minute to play Miss Mona Stangley, the madam, after the original actress could no longer participate.

Halenda, a Richmond native who lives in Wilmington, N.C., had a little more notice for her starring role in "Anything Goes," which opens at Riverside Saturday.

But playing Reno Sweeney, an evangelist-turned-nightclub performer, wasn't exactly a stretch for Halenda.

"I'm kind of a broad, often inappropriate, with a heart of gold, and I like people," she said, laughing. "So she's similar to me."

With plenty of tap-dancing, humorous high jinks and music by Cole Porter, "Anything Goes" is considerably more sunny fare than "Cabaret," the Nazi-era drama that closed at Riverside on Sunday.

"I thought it was time to go with a fun, family-friendly musical that's current," said Associate Artistic Director Patrick A'Hearn.

Though the show dates to the 1930s, it won a Tony award last year for best Broadway revival.

"It's funny. It's got great songs, dancing, lots of energy. It's fast-paced, so people will be in for a good evening," said A'Hearn.

The show, which takes place aboard a cruise ship, kicks off Riverside's 15th season. Still to come: "Phantom," "The Sound of Music," "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "The Full Monty."

In addition, Riverside has been granted permission to stage an "epic Broadway musical"--they're forbidden from saying which one just yet--for Season 16.

EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS

Season 15 is a mix of "epic, tried-and-true and more current" shows, said A'Hearn. And indeed that formula has been key to Riverside's success over the years. While many regional theaters have struggled to keep their doors open in a difficult economy, Riverside's popularity has only grown since it christened its stage with "Oklahoma" in June 1998.

General Manager Rollin Wehman, who spearheaded the effort to open Riverside, is hard-pressed to choose his favorite show over the years.

He loved the music in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" in season four and the diversity of the cast in season eight's "Ragtime."