The first thing you notice is the name:

"Hula Hoop Sha-Boop."

Let's not mince words here. It's incredibly cheesy. It's the kind of name that might give macho men pause when walking up to the box office.

The show -- which runs through May 25 at the Milwaukee Rep's Stackner Cabaret -- is cheesy, too.

But, it's not cheesy in a bad way.

On the surface, this tribute to the music of the 1950s may seem like one of those late-night commercials for a greatest-hits album. A lot of those songs seem cheesy now, but when you hear them - "Earth Angel" and "Walk Like a Man," etc., you realize the artistry and simplicity that made them hits in the first place.

"Hula Hoop Sha-Boop" treats the music and the era with a mixture of reverence and wit that makes it the kind of show you can see more than once. If you lived through the '50s, you'll like the loving look back. If you never wore a poodle skirt or combed your hair like the Fonz, you might appreciate the songs and the jokes -- even if they're cheesy.