belove

Maida Belove won't quit until she's a star - on Broadway.

Belove, 65, also a longtime Eugene stage performer, will make her Broadway debut on May 3 in "Kinky Boots" - which won the Tony Award for best musical in 2013 - at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on West 45th Street in New York City.

And, yes, it's worth every penny of the $13,000 that Belove says she bid to be a part of the "Kinky Boots" ensemble, even if just for one night.

Belove made her bid for fame last September through the nonprofit organization Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, which raises money for services for those with the AIDS virus.

Belove will be a customer in Lola's club and a factory worker in Charlie's shoe factory.

Belove also has reserved 30 seats in the mezzanine so friends, including Joe Zingo, artistic director at Actors Cabaret of Eugene, can see the show.

Lights, camera, action: At age 5, Belove knew she wanted to be an actress.

Belove's work with a Eugene comedy troupe along with her television production background came in handy during the casting call for extras for "Animal House," the film about a group of relentless partiers who sacrifice their dignity, grade-point averages and countless brain cells on an altar dedicated to women, booze and bad taste.

In the mid-1970s, Belove worked at the Improv, a comedy club in Los Angeles for up-and-coming comedians such as Jay Leno and Robin Williams.

Toga toga, toga: Besides knocking the beanie off Flounder's head, Belove also appeared slow dancing at the end of the toga party scene, dancing with Mothball, and as an extra during the food fight scene in the University of Oregon's Erb Memorial Union building.

Belove also pitched in behind the camera working in wardrobe and as a gofer.

Location, location, location: After a brief stint in Los Angeles appearing in two lesser-known movies, "Hometown USA" and "Mistress of the Apes" (`I was running through the jungle in a loincloth in that one'), Belove returned to Eugene to pursue a career as a real estate agent.