AGE IS JUST A NUMBER MS. SENIOR CALIFORNIA IS GOING FOR THE GOLD.

Byline: ANGIE VALENCIA-MARTINEZ

Staff Writer

WEST HILLS - Susan Cashman, a vibrant 70-year-old with piercing blue eyes and flaming red hair, is more prepared than most for the Ms. Senior pageant next month in Las Vegas.

At 5-foot-7, she sashays before the judges in a size 8 evening gown. She belts out the operatic "Torna a Sorrento" like a pro. She nails the interview portion of the contest. She shines.

And why wouldn't she? She's been a performer since she was 10.

"I love entertaining people," said the accomplished opera singer. "I know I do it well. I'm comfortable on the stage."

As this year's Ms. Senior California, the West Hills resident now will vie with 50 other seniors for the Ms. Senior America title in a weeklong national pageant that starts Nov. 5 at the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Contestants must be 60 or older, and Cashman said she's seen her share of nonagenarians compete for the coveted title at various levels of the competition.

Cashman was runner-up in the state pageant two years in a row before being crowned at this year's competition at the Rose Center Theater in Westminster.

She's traveled both years to the nationals, and while she knows little about this year's competitors, she knows what she's up against.

"I don't know who the contestants are but they're all winners," she said. "I expect there will be some tough competition."

And she's seen it all: tap dancers, singers, poets. Last year's winner was Suzanne Shelley of Mississippi, a pianist.

This year's California pageant had 15 finalists with a broad range of backgrounds -- even a nurse and a missionary.

A tough road

But it's a tough road to the state and national crowns, with contestants having to clear a variety of hurdles including a personal interview, statement of philosophy of life, gown competition and talent contest.

Judges score contestants on a scale of 1 to 10. Talent and interview portions make up 60 percent of the competition, with modeling and philosophy of life making up 40 percent.

"They come onstage and glow," said Gloria Davis, 81, executive producer of Ms. Senior California. "Some are comedians. Some play instruments. Some are dancers.

"There are all types. You never know what they're going to do."

Many of the women enter the competition after hardships such as losing a husband and end up making friends for life.

"Once they're in and get on the stage, they just blossom," Davis said. "They become amazing ... The whole point is for them to enjoy themselves.

"They get to know a group of women who are in the same quality of life as they are."

For Cashman, performing has always been in her blood and the competition gives her an outlet, said her husband, Tim Cashman, 76.

The couple met nearly 50 years ago in the national touring company of "My Fair Lady."

"There was something special about her," said Cashman, who was a master electrician with the production. "She shines when she gets on stage and you would never know that she is shy.

"She loves to perform. When she's on stage, I'm the proudest person in the room."

At the age of 3, the Los Angeles-born woman studied tap dancing. At 6, she took ballet classes. At 10, she was a starlet in the "Ken Murray's Blackouts" show.

She went on to model and study drama. But singing was her passion and led her to perform at nightclubs, the Los Angeles/San Francisco Civic Light Opera, Hollywood Bowl, and on cruise ships traveling the world.

"The singing is a personal thing ... an obsession," Cashman said. "The good Lord gave me a voice. I just love to sing."

But in 1977 after her last professional gig, her singing voice fell silent. Married with two teenage children, she put family ahead of career and started a new chapter in her life as a Realtor.

Her suburban life prompted her to start a graffiti-busting group in the West Valley, and for the past two decades she has gone around her community painting over walls.

"I called a couple of women and formed our group," she said. "We got into our grubbies and rolled up our sleeves and got rollers. I don't like looking at graffiti."

Her days as a star

But she always looked back at her days as a star, wowing crowds. Three years ago, she saw an advertisement for the pageant program and her eyes lit up.

She can model. She can sing. So she practiced for months to get her voice in shape.

"I thought, 'What a fantastic opportunity,'" she said. "This is a wonderful thing for seniors. A lot of people just give up when they turn 65 years old.

"Seeing these gals is great. We get to dress up to the nines. I'm just enjoying the moment."

And her husband fully supports her new endeavor.

"Her voice has come back," he said. "She's not 19 anymore, but she can still sing. She enjoys it. She works hard."

Today as Ms. California and a member of the Valley-based singing group The Chansonettes, Cashman goes to senior centers and veterans hospitals entertaining crowds.

But for now, the family's attention is on next month's competition.

"She's going to do great," said her daughter, Carolyn Cashman of Agoura Hills. "She's polishing her crown.

"She's got beautiful poise, a wonderful way that she carries herself. She's a true beauty. She hasn't had any enhancement. She is what she is."

angie.valencia(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color) Susan Cashman of West Hills, Ms. Senior California 2007, will compete for the Ms. Senior America title next month in Las Vegas.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer