Betty's Rules of attraction: Elizabeth Ziff explains why taking rock and roll to off Broadway was such a savvy career move for her band, Betty. (music).

After nearly 20 years of hustling along the club underground, Elizabeth Ziff is savoring the taste of mainstream attention that's finally being lavished upon her band, Betty. "After all of these years, we'd stopped anticipating that big wave of approval," says Ziff. "It hasn't always been easy to be in this band, but it's always been rewarding and worthwhile."

The group, which is fronted by the out Ziff with her sister Amy and with Alyson Palmer (both of whom are straight), has been been enjoying a successful off-Broadway run at New York's Zipper Theatre with Betty Rules, a chronicle of their musical journey. Since opening in October, the show has consistently played to sold-out audiences while earning lavish praise from such taste-making media as The New York Times, which touted its blend of "roadhouse rock and Broadway savvy," and drawing public kudos from celebrities like Lily Tomlin, Gloria Steinem, and Alan Cumming.

Directed by the openly gay Michael Greif, famed for his work on Rent, Betty Rules is a frenetic sensory assault that balances the guitar crunch of a rock gig with the razor-sharp comedic patter and taut story line of a traditional theatrical production. "We've always walked that line in terms of performance style," Ziff says. "It makes for a far more interesting show than doing one or the other. It's never made sense to us to consider doing anything else. Maybe we'd have broken big had we been easier to peg, but that would have meant holding back on some level--and that's something we've never seen as a realistic concept."

Among the more pointed elements that pervade Betty Rules--as well as the act's material in general--are tales of Ziff's life and adventures as a lesbian. In fact, that aspect has been such a potent part of the band's mix that the less informed have assumed that Betty is a full-on gay group.

"It's really just one third of the equation," Ziff says. "But it's funny how people will assume what they will, sight unseen, until they see our show and are enlightened. Betty is a band that's been embraced by the gay and lesbian community, and they feel a degree of propriety over the band, which is cool. But that's the amazing thing about our audience in general, regardless of background and orientation. They're a passionate group of people."

Betty was formed in Washington, D.C., in 1985, when Elizabeth (who plays guitar) and Amy (cello) teamed up with Palmer (bass). Later, they fleshed out their sound with support musicians that gave an aggressive punch to the show's highlights, including the ornery, rock-edged "It Girl" and a gothic revision of the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds." The band has accumulated a catalog of indie albums that includes the underground classic Hello, Betty! produced by '80s new wave maestro Mike Thorne (Nina Hagen, Soft Cell). He was also at the helm of Betty's recent collection, 2000's Carnival. Ironically, just as the band is enjoying a rush of mass acceptance, Betty is currently without a recording deal.

"You can't get too caught up in what you don't have," Ziff says. "You have to focus on making what you have work. The rest comes when it's supposed to. I think we're seeing proof of that right now."

Flick is senior talent editor at Billboard.