Theater and film audiences worldwide have seen the musical update of John Waters' '60s-themed film classic "Hairspray." But only La Jolla Playhouse ticket-buyers are privy to the world premiere of Waters' latest film-to-musical project -- "Cry-Baby" -- which opened in previews at the Playhouse this week.

Based on Waters' 1990 film of the same name, "Cry-Baby" is a bad boy-meets-good girl comedy that satirizes the cookie-cutter conformity of middle America in the 1950s. Campy, corny and filled with Waters' usual assortment of oddballs, the movie is most notable as Johnny Depp's breakthrough film role.

Set in Waters' hometown of Baltimore in 1954, "Cry-Baby" is the Romeo and Juliet-style love story of Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker, the motorcycle-riding head of the Drapes greasers gang, and pretty blonde "square" debutante Allison Vernon-Williams, who's oh-so-tired of being good. Allison's grandmother, her square boyfriend and local law enforcement conspire to keep them apart, but love triumphs in the end.

The "Cry-Baby" musical project sprung to life after the delirious success of the 2002 musical "Hairspray," which racked up seven Tony Awards -- including trophies for "Best Musical" for director Jack O'Brien (of San Diego's Old Globe) and its bookwriters, Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell.

Meehan and O'Donnell have re-teamed for the "Cry-Baby" book, and the musical features an original rock 'n' roll/doo wop score by David Javerbaum (executive producer of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart") and Adam Schlesinger (of the pop group Fountains of Wayne). Rob Ashford ("Thoroughly Modern Millie," "The Wedding Singer") is choreographer and its director is Mark Brokaw ("Marty," "How I Learned to Drive" and "Baltimore Waltz").

Waters hand-picked Brokaw to direct "Cry-Baby" and Waters has been serving as a hands-off adviser on the project during rehearsals, which began in early September in New York, then transferred to La Jolla the week of the wildfires. Preview performances began on Tuesday with an official opening night planned for Nov. 18.

Before the cast and creative team arrived in La Jolla last month, Brokaw sat down for a phone interview from New York to answer a few questions about "Cry-Baby."

Q: How would you describe "Cry-Baby" the musical?

A: It's a satire of the mores of that time, the square conformism of the '50s, the atomic age, polio, the Communist threat and the dawn of rock 'n' roll. The Drapes celebrate their nonconformity, they're so free, they live by their own set of rules and Allison represents the square conformists who secretly long to be free.

What's at the heart of "Cry-Baby" is the idea that a little rebellion can be a good thing. Cry-Baby and Allison fall in deep teenage love at first sight and all of society's forces are conspiring to keep them apart. But in the end love conquers all. It's a story of boy gets girl, boy is torn from girl and sent to prison and then he breaks out and wins her back against all odds.

Q: In the film version, most of the cast lip-synched to classic songs from the '50s. Will the musical have an original score?

A: Yes, it will be all original and it will be very diverse. It will celebrate all of the musical styles of the '50s -- rockabilly, early rock 'n' roll, the great '50s doo-wop tight harmonies, Pat Boone and the McGuire Sisters.

Q: The score and lyrics team, Javerbaum and Schlesinger, have very little theatrical experience. How are they adapting to the genre?

A: They've done a terrific job of writing active theater songs, which is always a challenge. It's a terrific score that moves the story forward. The songs have an element of satire, which is something David is great at (Javerbaum earned eight Emmys as head writer for "The Daily Show" and spent three years as a staff writer for the online newspaper satire "The Onion"). I think audiences will enjoy the music.

Q: How is the musical's book different from the film?

A: The film had a much larger canvas. The writers for the musical have condensed and telescoped the story down to focus on the central conflict between Cry-Baby and Allison.

Q: Johnny Depp's charismatic performance was the best thing about the "Cry-Baby" film. How have you cast the role for the stage?

A: We've found someone who's pretty unknown. His name is James Snyder. He's from Sacramento. What we were looking for is someone with charisma and that kind of sexy charm and a little bit of that outsider edge. We also wanted someone who sings beautifully and understands all of those musical styles. And we needed someone who has the right sense of humor to bring to the story.

Q: How much has John Waters been involved in the production?

A: We think of John as the creative godfather of the project. He steps in to check on us and see how it's growing and developing. He's like a consultant. He's always guiding us to keep the heart of the story between those two characters.

Q: If this show is a big success in La Jolla, are there plans to take it to Broadway?

A: There's always that dream that the show will have a life in New York, but we want to just take things one step at a time and put together the best show we can in La Jolla.

"Cry-Baby"

When: Previews, through 2 p.m. Nov. 18; opens at 7 p.m. Nov. 18 and runs through Dec. 16; showtimes, 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays

Where: Mandell Weiss Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, UC San Diego, La Jolla

Tickets: Preview, $40-$54; regular shows, $40-$100

Info: (858) 550-1010

Web: www.lajollaplayhouse.com