John Katsilometes takes in the tear-soaked (and heavily ad-libbed) ‘Hairspray’ finale

Tuesday, June 13, 2006 | 7:39 a.m.

The close-to-capacity audience at the final "Hairspray" performance at the Luxor Theatre on Sunday night seemed to be braced for the moment when the cast would lose it.

It happened late in the performance as Fran Jaye, who portrayed Motormouth Maybelle, belted out "I Know Where I've Been." The powerful gospel number is a classic showstopper, no more so than on Sunday when Jaye stopped to gather both her breath and her composure.

Facing an audience rising to a standing ovation, Jaye closed her eyes and said, "They told me not to pause. Well, they can fine me." Most of the members of the company surrounding the singer began to cry, and she finally finished off the song, shaking the rafters.

Earlier in the evening co-stars Eddie Mekka (Wilbur Turnblad) and Paul Vogt (Edna Turnblad) engaged in a great bit of ad-libbing during "Timeless to Me." When Mekka hugged Vogt from behind, he squeezed particularly hard, prompting Vogt to say, "You're going the wrong way on a one-way street, pal." Mekka responded, "No, that's not a roll of half-dollars in my pocket - I'm just glad to see you!" which led to a seemingly limitless string of off-color innuendoes before Vogt finally said, "We'd better finish the number."

At the show's conclusion Susan Anton (who played Velma Von Tussle) told the audience, "I want to say thank you on behalf of this stunning cast before you ... showbiz is a tricky road but always one worth taking." Katrina Rose Dideriksen (Tracy Turnblad) was particularly affected, burbling, "This was a dream come true thank you for changing me for the better."

Later, Myron Martin, who produced the show with Michael Gill, said, "I have never loved a project or product like this group. It's an emotionally difficult time for me."

A sign held up by a group of ushers at the back of the theater summed up the collective feeling of the "Hairspray" family, which occupied the Luxor for just 15 weeks: "You're timeless to us."

NoteMart

Streisand confirmed: Barbra Streisand will perform at the MGM Grand Garden Arena at 8 p.m. on Nov. 18, it was announced Monday. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on June 24 at the Grand Garden Arena and Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations. Tickets are going for $1,000, $750, $350, $200 and $100. (The $1,000 price is the highest ever for a show at the Grand Garden Arena, discounting sporting events.)

Wristband distribution to establish ticket-purchase priority will begin at 6 a.m. on June 24. At 9:30 a.m. a random number will be drawn and fans will line up in sequential order, beginning with the number selected. Streisand's opening act is Il Divo, which also performs (with a top ticket price of $99.85) on June 23 at Mandalay Bay

Big announcement set: The Smith Center for the Performing Arts has planned a special ceremony on June 28 at the World Market Center to announce the architect chosen to design the two-theater PAC project at the Union Park site in downtown Las Vegas.

The announcement will be, as expected, that the Washington, D.C., firm operated by David M. Schwarz is the center's design architect. Schwarz has designed the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas, and the Schermerhorn Symphony Hall in Nashville, Tenn. He is expected to take part in the June 28 event.

The Smith Center will feature theaters with seating capacities of 2,100 and 600; groundbreaking will begin in about two years

There she goes : The documentary leading up to the 2007 Miss America Pageant, titled "Finding Miss America," will be taped in Los Angeles from Sept. 5 to Sept. 13, which means Las Vegas has been shut out of the new reality show pegged to the pageant. No word yet on where the 2007 finals will be held, but Miss America Organization Chief Executive Art McMaster has received offers from other undisclosed cities and is waiting for a final offer from Las Vegas. Miss America would likely take less money to return to Vegas, but the question is how much less

Every body welcome: Ticket prices are set for "Bodies The Exhibition" at Tropicana. Adults can check out the stripped-down cadavers for $24, $22 for seniors, $15 for children under 12 and $21 for Nevada residents (and long live those great locals' discounts)

On a run for Scooby snacks: A white Hyundai Sonata with the plate RUHHROW.