Watching the same scene five times in a row might sound boring, but not in The Musical of Musicals, The Musical.

The show, created in 2005 by Joanne Bogart and Eric Rockwell, parodies the styles of five famous musical theater composers, including Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Local production company Singing OnStage will bring the musical to local audiences at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the State Theatre, 130 W. College Ave.

Eight actors depict each of the five scenes, which all revolve around the same plot.

"June can't pay her rent; the landlord wants her to pay the rent; and Willy ends up paying her rent," said Lindsay Gaspar, Class of 2007, who plays June. "It's a very familiar college scenario."

Director Richard Biever said anyone who is vaguely familiar with musical theater will be able to understand the jokes.

"I would say if you like theater and have seen the basic canon of musical theater, you would get this. It pokes fun at all the things that people hate about musicals," he said, like characters saying they're happy and then bursting into song.

Familiar shows like Oklahoma!, Sweeney Todd, Cabaret and Chicago are referenced in the five different scenes.

Biever said the musical is not meant to be mean-spirited; instead, it's a tribute to these iconic shows.

"After all, some of the things are silly in musical theater, so it's good to laugh at yourself," he said.

Each of the scenes uses the vocal and dance styles inspired by the qualities that make the composers unique, choreographer Jill A. Brighton said.

"It was really fun for me and challenging at the same time to be able to create things [that don't] need to look the same, but making each one distinct and different," she said.

Keith Allen (sophomore-theatre) said he had to learn the various acting styles of the different shows by watching the film versions of some of the musicals he was unfamiliar with.

"It took a little studying in a way, to get an idea of what was going on," he said.

Allen, who plays the landlord, Jidder, said the cast welcomed the challenge of the play's intense choreography.

"Everyone has their own strengths. That's what makes it really exciting to put everything together and put on a great show," he said.

Biever said he chose The Musical of Musicals, The Musical after hearing the cast album from the off-Broadway production last year.

"When something comes along that has so many references to all these shows that I've grown up with and so many people have grown up with, it's just a special thrill," he said.

Biever said parodying musical theater is a general trend in show business now, as evidenced by the popular Broadway production Monty Python's Spamalot, though he thinks it will eventually run its course.

"It's very difficult for a show that has serious intent and is not ironic or making fun of or poking fun of musicals now," he said.

Five of the cast members are Penn State students, Biever said, including the pianist, Sarah Holgate (senior-music).

"They're all really dedicated and they're all amazingly talented," Brighton said. "We were able to cast people who all have a lot of talent and training and potential."

Biever said the "Speakeasy" scene parodying Chicago and Cabaret has some sexual innuendo.

"It's so exaggerated and over the top that unless you have a particularly sensitive child or sensitive family it would just be funny, not offensive," he said.

Gaspar said everyone should enjoy the performance, no matter how old or young they are, and they should come regardless of their base knowledge.

"It's a heartfelt comedy, and I think people will be surprised how much they will pick up," she said.