Dunes Arts Summer Theatre continues its 2025 season with the delicate and sophisticated musical "She Loves Me," opening on Friday, July 25th, and running through Sunday, August 10th.
This production is the third in the theatre’s summer lineup — and with two productions still to come, including the Broadway cabaret “Opposites Attract,” and “Voices From the Heartland: The Third Annual New Plays Festival” — season subscriptions are now available for $90.
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. Set in 1930s Hungary, the show follows the staff of Maraczek’s Parfumerie during a brief moment of calm—before the Nazis, before the Communists, but with warning signs already in the air.
“She Loves Me” offers us a glimpse of a depressed economy in which businesses were closing, clerks were afraid of losing their jobs and costumers who still had cash to spend were treated like royalty. Critic Norman Nadel described it as “a musical play with which everyone can fall in love.” And Playbill’s Sheldon Harnick 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 Set 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).
ABOUT DUNES ARTS SUMMER THEATRE
The Dunes Arts Foundation, which operates Dunes Arts Summer Theatre and education programs, was incorporated in the state of Indiana in 1951 and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Nestled within the woodsy dunes of Michiana Shores, Dunes Summer Theatre is located about a half mile from the Indiana Dunes and the Lake Michigan shoreline, at 288 Shady Oak Drive in Michigan City, Ind. As northwest Indiana’s longest-running summer theater program, Dunes Summer Theatre has provided professional productions for more than seven decades. This one-of-a-kind experience is a highlight of Harbor Country’s cultural fabric, promoting community spirit and embracing inclusivity, diversity and accessibility in all areas of operation.
For more information or to purchase individual tickets ($35), senior/student tickets ($30), group tickets ($25 for four or more), or season subscriptions (now $90), visit www.dunesARTS.org or call 219-879-7509. Follow along on social media @dunesartsfoundation.