"Tell Me Something Good" cast members

Regular patrons of the Black Rep know that every few years, the company will trot out its tried-and-true favorite, “Tell Me Something Good.”

Well, now is that time.

The production opens the Black Rep’s season Friday at the Grandel Theatre in Grand Center.

Director and Black Rep founder Ron Himes describes this original baby of his as “a revue of R&B music that looks at the development of the R&B music form from the ’50s to the ’90s, while at the same time looking at the fashion and the dances.”

While you may have seen one of his earlier incarnations of the show over the past decade, you haven’t seen this one.

Show veterans J. Samuel Davis, Drummond Crenshaw, Rochelle “Coco Soul” Walker and Lisa Harris remain in the cast. But this is the first time Himes toyed with the casting of the male leads.

Two younger male performers, Brian Owens and DeAndrae Perryman, were added to the cast of eight, as were two younger female singers, Sarah Stephens and Tameka Bradley. They’re all making their Black Rep debuts.

“We have more young people than ever before, and that was intentional,” Himes says. “I tried to bring in young people who hopefully, in return, will bring in younger audiences.

Perryman secured some fame as a semifinalist on “American Idol” a few seasons ago. Owens is known locally as a jazz and R&B singer. Stephens is the younger sister of Sophia Stephens, a Black Rep veteran who performed in “Bubbling Brown Sugar” and “Guys and Dolls” before going on to “The Lion King” on Broadway.

For all the pluses that come with the younger cast, there are challenges, beginning with the fact that the younger players don’t know the music the way the older cast members do, Himes says.

How to approach these classic tunes is crucial. “This production causes all of us to go back to the roots of the music, to look at it and respect it,” Himes says. “They have to know where it came from and how it developed.”

But Himes eventually allows his artists to loosen up a bit with the material. Another challenge with the newcomers is “developing their stamina, keeping up with the rigorous rehearsal schedule,” Himes says.

More than 60 songs are covered in “Tell Me Something Good,” from doo-wop to hip-hop. Songs include “End of the Road,” “Adorable,” “Shoop,” “I Only Have Eyes for You,” medleys from the Supremes and Temptations, an Aretha Franklin suite, and songs from Luther Vandross and Brownstone.

And, of course, there’s the title song, immortalized by Rufus with Chaka Khan.

Himes says he decided to revisit “Tell Me Something Good” for several reasons, including that it’s a strong season jump-starter and a crowd favorite.

“People are always asking when we’re going to do it again,” he says. “With times as tough as they are, I was looking to do something that was both entertaining and escapist, so people can come to the theater and have a good time.”

“Tell Me Something Good” runs Friday through Feb. 8 at the Grandel Theatre. Tickets are $17-$38, available  through MetroTix.