He doesn't wear high heels, evening gowns or bathing suits in "Pageant," a spoof of the all-American beauty pageant.

But as show host Frankie Cavalier, Keoki Kerr, the KITV reporter, forsakes dignity and leading man roles to play a smarmy emcee full of himself.

"That's one of the neatest things about this part," said Kerr, the only guy in the cast who portrays a guy.

"Frankie Cavalier is so in love with himself, he quotes himself," said Kerr, last seen on stage at Army Community Theatre's "Damn Yankees."

In this outing, he dons a dark wig, has his brows penciled in darker than normal, and puts tongue firmly in cheek as he parodies the pageant emcee. One of Kerr's media pals says he looks like Glenn Medeiros on a bad day.

"I'm channeling every cheesy broadcaster I've known, from the time I did radio as a kid," Kerr said of his creation. "It's so hilarious, I'm trying not to break out (in laughter) on stage."

He's relieved he's not masquerading as a queen wannabe. "I don't feel left out, absolutely not," Kerr said. "Besides, I would not be a good-looking woman."

His Cavalier get-up, however, includes gold lamé.

Besides Kerr, the cast includes a handful of men playing pageant-queen princesses, competing in gowns and bathing suits for the title of Miss Glamouresse: Daniel Kunkel is Miss Deep South, Chad Lovell is Miss West Coast, Colin Miyamaoto is Miss Bible Belt, Michael K. Pa'ekukui is Miss Industrial Northeast/Tawny Jo, Christopher Obenchain is Miss Great Plains and Don Richards is Miss Texas.

Director Randl Ask originated the Miss Bible Belt role when the off-Broadway spoof of the American beauty pageant bowed in New York in 1990, a performance Time magazine described as "rafter-raising." After "Pageant," Ask is moving to New York.

"Randl has been amazing, guiding us in comic timing and pacing," said Kerr.

This is one of those interactive MVT shows, where some audience members also play judges in the pageant by donating $100 (on top of the admission) for the honor. The theater opens an hour before curtain for cocktail and dinner service.

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.