Maybe you don’t know Jule Styne’s name, but I bet you recognize many of the tunes he wrote for musical theater — “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” “The Party’s Over,” “Just in Time,” “Neverland,” “People,” “Time After Time,” “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!” and, of course, “Make Someone Happy.” The latter serves as the title for this sophisticated and funny showcase of the composer who was one of Broadway and Hollywood’s greatest. Styne died in 1994, but his great music and shows (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Gypsy, Peter Pan and Funny Girl, to name but a few) live on. This production by the Commonwealth Theatre Company at Northern Kentucky University (it’s a dinner theater format for the summer months) is a regional premiere, only the third time it’s been presented. If you like show tunes, I’m pretty certain this show will “make someone happy” — specifically, you.
For show times, directions, tickets and more, go here.
This article appears in Jun 8-14, 2011.
