And it includes the gifted comic actress Andrea Martin ("Young Frankenstein,’’ ‘'My Favorite Year,’’ many others) as Berthe, the grandmother, a role made famous on Broadway by Irene Ryan. If Berthe’s anthem ‘‘No Time at All’’ stopped the show on Broadway, it’s safe to say Martin's, er, enhanced version stops it even colder in the A.R.T. production (to say more would be to spoil the fun.)

Though the show seems destined for Broadway, if the stars align, Paulus and her cast are trying to focus for now on perfecting it for an early January official opening (the run ends Jan. 20.) They’re also trying to avoid the obvious trap: Thinking too much about living up to expectations.

‘‘You’re always going to get people who come in and expect to see what they saw years ago,’’ says Miller. ‘‘I'm not Ben Vereen.’’ In fact, to make that point, she at first resisted the costume she was given — a slinky, black, curve-hugging tuxedo-like number — because it looked too much like Vereen's.

Then she saw how good she looked in it.

‘‘I decided it works,’’ she says with a smile.

_