Dunes Arts Summer Theatre announces the third main stage show of the summer season with the delicate and sophisticated musical "She Loves Me," on Friday, July 25th, running through August 10th.
Based on a play by Miklos Laszlo with the book by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, “She Loves Me” will be directed by Steve Scott with music direction by Kaitlyn Leonard-White. The musical features actors Kate Turner and Tristan Haberland in the leading roles, with resident scenic designer Michael Lasswell designing the set.
“She Loves Me” is based on a classic 1940s MGM film, “The Shop Around the Corner”, which was later reimagined as the 1998 movie hit “You’ve Got Mail” starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.
Kate Turner and Tristan Haberland star in "She Loves Me". Photo credit: Tony V. Martin
Set in 1930’s Hungary, the show concerns the adventures of the staff of Maraczhek’s Parfumierie. In the mid-1930s before the Nazis and before the Communists, signs of trouble were already in evidence, “She Loves Me” offers us a glimpse of a depressed economy in which businesses were closing, clerks were afraid of losing their jobs and consumers who still had cash to spend were treated like royalty.
Critic Norman Nadel described it as “a musical play with which everyone call fall in love.” And Sheldon Harnick stated in Playbill magazine stated:
“People now seem to feel ‘She Loves Me’ has something to say about humanity, about decency – in the light of everything that’s now happening in Eastern Europe.” And Howard Kissel says of the 1993 revival: “As the real world grows more ugly, its tender world seems more affecting and evokes longing for a bygone era.”
“I have been in love with 'She Loves Me' since I first heard it in high school”, says Director Steve Scott. “It's charming in the best sense of that word: funny, sweet, at times heartbreaking, and filled with the joy that we all feel when we fall in love. A beautiful play in a beautiful setting--perfect for an Indiana summer night.”
Scenic Designer Lasswell sees it as “a show about what happens when you stop looking at the labels and get a whiff of what’s inside the bottle. Everything on the set has a reverse side that transforms into something magical when you look a little deeper. We’re working in a subtle, patina watercolor palette to evoke a city that has become even lovelier because it’s a little worn and weathered with time.”
Performances of “She Loves Me” take place at Dunes Summer Theatre, located at 288 Shady Oak Drive in Michiana Shores, Indiana. Showtimes are 7 p.m. CST (8 p.m. EST), Sundays 2 p.m. CST (3 p.m. EST). Tickets and full season information are available at dunesarts.org/tickets.