Tommy Hensel is a man in much demand lately. After taking a little time off to dissolve his business of seven years, in November he jumped into performing again as Cogsworth in "Beauty and The Beast" at Seacoast Repertory Theatre (although I still say he should have been Lumi?¿re). Then he directed the fabulously elegant and hilarious "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" in February for the Bell Center. He breathed for about a second, then was off to cast "Grease" at SRT. Since that doesn't go up until August, he decided to while away the spare few minutes by directing "Man of La Mancha" for The Bell Center. The two shows, "Grease" (Aug. 11-28) and "La Mancha" (Aug. 12-28) go up practically simultaneously.

That's a lot, even for an overachiever like Hensel.

And yet, in the midst of all that, he embarked on another labor of love: a project to bring cabaret to Dover. On Saturday, April 9, he'll present "Sondheim Unplugged!", part two of a three-part performance series at the Bell Center for the Arts.

Hensel was called to music at an early age. Blessed with a clear tenor voice and an ear for music, he sang in choirs from the age of 8.

"My mother actually got me involved in the theater because I was too mature for my age," says the dapper, handsome 32-year-old as he picks at his Greek salad at the Stockpot in Portsmouth. "It was her attempt to try to get me to be more of a kid."

Mom persevered and enrolled him in a local community theater. He was immediately "obsessed" because the theater offered diversity-unlike his all-white, ultra-preppy private school. "Once I started, there was just no turning back. I never wanted to not be in a show again." The only time he missed a performance was to deliver the valedictory speech at graduation. And he was woeful about that.

Everyone expected him to go to college for pre-law. He shocked them all by going to Florida to study music and communication. He worked as a cameraperson in local, live TV and hated it. "Push the wrong button, and 100,000 people see the wrong image," he says. "It's not for the faint of heart."

He achieved his master's degree at the University of South Carolina. During the summer, he'd go to the Shakespeare Festival in Washington, D.C. He and two of his friends created the Harrisburg Shakespeare theater.

Due to his angelic voice, he was always cast in musicals, which he didn't mind, although he longed to direct as well. He was introduced to New Hampshire when he met his former husband, and moved here to be with him. He dedicated the next six years of his life to his marriage and their holistic business. "Six years of no theater. It was... not good," he says simply.

When he did the Richard Rogers tribute at Hackmatack in 2001, his husband got upset because it took too much of his attention away from their marriage. But Hensel couldn't stop; the momentum was back. He then performed the role of Fakir in "Secret Garden" at the Bell Center and directed "Hamlet" at the Rochester Opera House. All this took its toll on the relationship, which ended, along with his holistic health center. Hensel has no regrets.

"This is who I am," he says. Hensel is nothing if not honest and direct; don't ask him a question you don't really want the answer to. This is one of the reasons he's so beloved in the theater community.

At this point, he got more interested in singing, which led him to cabaret, a near-lost art form he's trying to bring back. He met partner Gordon Michaels during "Smoky Joe's Caf??." Michaels produced his own cabaret in Boston, and before long, the two were in cahoots to bring cabaret back to the area. "It's fun, it's brazen, it's enjoyable, and people love it and respond to it," he says. "So let's bring it back.

Michaels starred in "Unforgettable" in February, the first cabaret performances at the Bell Center. "Sondheim Unplugged!," featuring the vocal and acting talents of Hensel, will be on Saturday, April 9 at 8 p.m. The final show will be "Blast of Broadway" on Saturday, May 21 at 8 p.m., featuring Hensel, Michaels and Alexia Motley.

Don't expect any high-tech work at one of Hensel's cabarets. "I'm not a proponent of miking live theater," he says. "I think the voice should be enough, and if you can't project, you shouldn't be singing."

He's also a board member at the Bell Center, where his upcoming "Sondheim" will be performed with the lovely and talented Jenn Batchelder as a special guest artist.

So what's next? "More. That's it. Just... more."