Michele Lee to Star in Ogunquit Playhouse SUMMER OF LOVE

The Ogunquit Playhouse is thrilled to announce that star of film, television and stage, the renowned Michelle Lee will headline in the East Coast Premiere of the new Roger Bean musical Summer of Love, on stage June 22 through July 16! Michele Lee has starred on Broadway, in feature and television films and recorded and performed with legends of the entertainment industry. Ms. Lee is known worldwide for her Emmy-nominated role as Karen Mackenzie in the landmark CBS series "Knots Landing." Knots is now the fifth-longest running prime time dramatic series in television history.

Michele Lee was discovered by David Merrick, brought to Broadway and by the time she was 18 was starring with Metropolitan Opera's Cesare Siepe in the musical, Bravo Giovanni. This led to national recognition for her breakout role as Rosemary in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying opposite Robert Morse, which led to the film version in 1967. Carl Reiner's cult classic, "The Comic" with Dick Van Dyke followed, and her role in Disney's "The Love Bug" proved the be the highest grossing film of the year. Ms. Lee was most recently seen in Universal's "Along Came Polly" opposite Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston.

In 1974 Michele appeared on the Broadway stage in Michael Bennett's musical Seesaw. Her performance garnered a Tony nomination, as well as the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics Award for Best Actress. In 2002 Ms. Lee completed a long run in Charles Busch's Broadway hit The Tale of the Allergist Wife opposite Linda Lavin and Tony Roberts. Her performance earned rave reviews and another Tony nomination.

Michele Lee became the first woman to produce, direct, write and star in a motion picture for television in 1995, and has produced numerous films for television, including CBS's Emmy-nominated "Big Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story."

Ms. Lee opened in New York in Love, Loss & What I Wore written by her favorite writer-director Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron. A concert with Michael Feinstein followed at Carnegie Hall this past February. Ms. Lee was presented a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Michele Lee will star in the role of Mama, the earth mother of the Golden Gate Park band of hippies, in the Ogunquit Playhouse production of Summer of Love. This new musical by Roger Bean showcases the powerful music of the late 1960s by some of the most influential artists of the love generation including, The Mamas and the Papas, Donovan, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, with songs that include "Dream a Little Dream of Me," "Get Together," "Piece of My Heart," "White Rabbit," "Spinning Wheel," "Happy Together" and many more! Be prepared for a head on collision between cultures when a conservative bride runs away from the altar and runs into a VW bus full of hippies from Haight-Ashbury. With a little help from the hippies and dropouts of San Francisco, she comes to realize she has to make her own kind of music! Take a trip down memory lane, remember your glory days and most of all enjoy the music! You'll love this flower-power, feel-good musical experience!

The Ogunquit Playhouse season continues when the critically acclaimed Broadway classic, The Music Man marches into town July 20 to August 20; the all singing, all dancing, feel-good musical comedy Legally Blonde the Musical, is on stage August 24 through September 17 with our heroine Elle, her Chihuahua, Bruiser and the bull-dog-toting-hairdresser Paulette, played by none other than Emmy-Award-winning, Playhouse favorite Sally Struthers; then the fall ushers in one of the most stunning Broadway blockbusters of all time, Miss Saigon, an epic love story that will touch your heart and haunt your memory, on stage September 21 through October 23.

Tickets are on sale now, however you can lock in the best seats at a bargain price by buying a season subscription today! The Ogunquit Playhouse is America's Foremost Summer Theatre, a 501c3 not-for-profit organization, producing the finest Broadway musicals each season, with performances Tuesday through Sunday, through October 23, 2011. For a complete list of show times, pricing and more information about the season, visit HYPERLINK "http://www.ogunquitplayhouse.org"www.ogunquitplayhouse.org. Tickets on-line or by calling 800-982-2787, for Subscriptions, Flex-Passes and Gift Certificates call the box office at 207-646-5511.