“Country Superstars Tribute”

It turns out that a country theme makes a good fit for a low-budget show. Country music is not fancy by nature — not, at least, until the new breed of divas came along — so you can keep the costume budget under control and still allow your Toby Keith (Tim Tracy) to change his shirt a few times.

The new show and its businesslike approach also works for the tiny showroom at Fitzgeralds, which is really more like the Las Vegas lounges of the old days. The compact revue is all about singers in front of a five-piece band, the very thing a lounge show used to be if you subtract the look-alike gimmick.

The only act that really doesn’t adapt is Cathy "C.C." Carter as Shania Twain, because Twain is the only act on the bill who staged a Vegas-like diva spectacle. The sparkling Shania outfit reminds you that Carter is jammed onto a crowded stage in a way the other acts don’t.

The poppy Twain hits from the mid-’90s also seem more behind the curve than the rest of it. Country radio and record labels aren’t too interested in looking back these days, so the bulk of the show seems wise to stay reasonably up to date by including Keith and Tim McGraw (Dave Hoover), even if it hasn’t found a Kenny Chesney.

The patriotic finale — complete with red-and-white striped guitar and star-spangled shirt — smartly chooses Keith’s "American Soldier," while "Legends in Concert" almost surely would opt for "God Bless the U.S.A."

The show is co-produced by Ronnie Lee Keel, who plays Ronnie Dunn and had a previous life in heavy metal. His band Keel was under the wing of Kiss’ Gene Simmons, and you might even remember seeing the "Right to Rock" video on MTV. Funny, no one mentions any of that here.

Keel does, however, have an amazing resemblance to Dunn’s sad-eyed countenance, and his strong singing anchors the show for several visits by the Brooks & Dunn characters. They aren’t exactly equal partners here though. Eric York as Kix Brooks is relegated to one verse and chorus of "Rock My World (Little Country Girl)" before the crowd is divided into a shoutin’ match.

The five-piece band is a treat, but on this night overpowered the vocals for almost half the show. The singers are uniformly strong, if not all in the exact range of the stars they are portraying.

McGraw proves easy to imitate by Hoover and he joins Carter for "Let’s Make Love" while she does double-duty as McGraw’s spouse, Faith Hill. It’s amazing how she can alter her look with hair and makeup. Tracy is stuck with sunglasses and a cowboy hat pulled down so low you have no idea if he looks like Toby Keith or Toby the Tram Engine.

But he sings good, and that’s where this show’s priorities lie.