COEUR d'ALENE - What does big hair, lip gloss and a lot of laughs have in common? It's the musical comedy, "American Beauty," put on by Ain't It Good Productions Children's Theatre.

The show runs tonight, Saturday and Sunday and will be held at Sorensen Elementary. There are 23 in the cast.

"The fun part of 'American Beauty' is that it pokes fun at beauty pageants" says Sandy Clemons, director of "American Beauty" and owner of Ain't It Good Productions. "The crazy pageant mothers add the comic relief to the show. The mothers who are in the show are actual mothers of some of the pageant girls so we've made it a true family experience."

Clemons wanted to do a show that challenged the actors in a new way.

"The sets are simple, the costuming is typical pageant big hair and formals, but learning how to do model walks and developing a unique character has been the real challenge for these ladies," she said. "We have 16 girls in the pageant part of the play and so we needed 16 very distinct personalities. It's been a tremendous amount of fun and our mothers are hysterical."

Ain't It Good Productions utilizes adults in all their productions.

"I believe this adds a unique flavor to our shows," she said.

This is Ain't It Good Productions' third show this season. "Grease" and "Peter Pan" were all sold-out shows so reservations are encouraged.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for kids 12 and under.

Performances are 7 tonight, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

To reserve tickets, call 769-4262.

Information: www.AIGPChildrensTheatre.com