Javier Manente, an Argentina native and Point Park musical theater senior, feels a connection with his character Juan in Altar Boyz, the off-Broadway musical comedy that’s currently being performed at the CLO Cabaret downtown.

Altar Boyz, which tells the story of a five-member boy band on the last night of their national “Raise the Praise” tour, is comprised entirely of a cast of Point Park students and alumni.

“I connect with Juan in a way…when I came to Point Park, I left everything behind. My family, my friends,” said Manente, in an interview Sunday at the Boulevard Apartments. “But my friends here became my family and that’s what happens to Juan. He’s an orphan and the Altar Boyz become his family.”

During their performance, the Altar Boyz use a machine on stage called the “Soul Sensor DX-12” to locate burdened souls in the theatre and save them by the end of the show. Joining Manente in delivering souls is Carter Ellis, Michael Greer, Michael James and Mason Alexander Park.

“All of these characters are sort of based off the different stereotypes you find in boy bands…I play Mark, the sensitive one. He’s the Lance Bass of the group,” said Park, a graduating musical theater junior Sunday at the Starbucks near Cabaret Theater.

Previously, Park was in a production of Mary Poppins at the Benedum Center where he was the first male countertenor in the country to play the villainous Miss Andrew. Disney’s approval was needed before Park could officially be cast for the role.

For Park, doing Altar Boyz was initially out of his comfort zone.

“I didn’t see myself as right for this show at first. It’s a pop, R&B kind of musical and all the music is very contemporary,” Park said. “I’m not necessarily a pop singer and it’s a very difficult dance piece. I went into the audition for fun and ended up booking it.”

Both Manente and Park credit their professors at school with helping to prepare them for Altar Boyz and their upcoming graduation from Point Park.

“Point Park gave me the tools to behave professionally. From the audition to the rehearsal process and how to maintain the show, I know what to do now,” Manente said. “It’s a conservatory, so all of our teachers work professionally, they don’t just teach. They’ve helped a lot.”

According to Manente, the cast had two weeks to learn the entire show before opening night, and his education at Point Park enabled him to keep up during the fast paced rehearsal process.

“I was thrown for a loop with this show because it brought all of my fears to life. The only thing I was comfortable with was the acting,” Park said. “I feel like any time I am out of my comfort zone vocally, like with this and Mary Poppins, I can go to Judy Jenkins, my voice teacher. She’s helped me so much as a vocalist and as an actor.”

Manente and Park continue to juggle school and homework with performing, but both agree that theatre is their escape.

“Going to the theatre is like going home. If I had a bad day and I go to the theatre for the show, from the second I enter the dressing room I feel good,” Manente said. “We love each other and we love performing together.”

Altar Boyz opened at the Cabaret at Theatre Square on Sept. 24. With a recently extended run due to popular demand, the show will be performed until Jan. 10.

Students can receive discounted tickets for Altar Boyz by showing their Point Park I.D.s at the box office.