For Gotti, it was an offer that she simply couldn”t refuse

This soprano is actually a Gotti.

As she stands alongside her vocal coach, her impossibly blond hair cascading down her black-as-midnight knit top, Victoria Gotti sings the scales.

The reality show star with the Mafia lineage is prepping for something even she finds unreal: a role in an off-Broadway musical.

“I remember when I was in the fifth or sixth grade, doing the school play and trying out for the talent show,” Gotti recalls during a break in her rehearsal. “It was upsetting to me, because I was always an introverted kid, and I got up there and always bombed.”

Gotti hopes things will be better in “We’re Still Hot,” in which she makes her professional acting debut on Saturday. She plays one of four 50-something women at their 35th high school reunion.

It’s not exactly an age-appropriate role for the youthful-looking 41-year-old. But it is a dream come true for the daughter of the late mob boss John Gotti.

“Growing up, I think, we would all like to be the next Tom Cruise or Michelle Pfeiffer,” she says.

Instead, she married young and had three kids with ex-husband Carmine Agnello, currently behind bars on racketeering charges. Authorities say he was a member of the Gambino crime family once headed by Victoria’s father.

The tale of the elder Gotti’s ascension to the top of the mob, followed by his racketeering conviction and death behind bars, is as familiar to mob-watchers as “The Godfather” saga.

When he died in a federal prison three years ago, Victoria issued a statement hailing him as a “lion.”

She was a best-selling author by then, although hardly a household name. That changed with last summer’s debut of the reality show “Growing Up Gotti” (Mondays at 9 p.m. on A&E), a chronicle of her Long Island lifestyle.

The program turned sons John, Carmine and Frank into instant teen idols – and living proof of the power of hair gel.

The success of the show also led to the off-Broadway role for mom.

“The producer wanted me to make a fantasy list of things I’d want to do, and I said, ‘Audition for an off-Broadway show,’ ” Gotti says. “The producer came back and said they’d found four.”

Although this marks her acting debut, Gotti’s getting a bit of the star treatment. Word of her latest endeavor made the New York gossip columns – as did the fact that hers was one of the many phone numbers made public after Paris Hilton‘s cell phone was hacked.

Gotti says she’s grown accustomed to the attention in recent years. And she’s sure of one thing: Her performance won’t provide any nuggets for “Saturday Night Live” or “The Daily Show.”

“I’m not going to let anybody down, and I’m not going to let them poke fun at me either,” she says resolutely.

“So you know I’ll be working every day into the wee hours.”

Before going back to rehearsal, she confesses that opening night might prove a bit more difficult than anticipated.

“I think about it, and I start to get the shakes,” she says. “I don’t know how I’m going to do it. I’m nervous. People don’t believe it, but I’m shy.”

The birthday bunch

Actor Al Pacino is 65. Singer Bjorn Ulvaeus (ABBA) is 60. Actress Talia Shire is 59. Actor Hank Azaria (“The Simpsons”) is 41. Actress Renee Zellweger is 36. Actor Jason Lee (“Dreamcatcher,” “Almost Famous”) is 35. Actor Jason Wiles (“Third Watch”) is 35. Singer Jacob Underwood (O-Town) is 25.