‘Burt & Me’ celebrates the songs of Burt Bacharach and Hal David

You could start now to list all the Burt Bacharach songs you know, and you probably wouldn’t finish before Christmas.

His songs have been hits for everyone from The Beatles and Dusty Springfield to Aretha Franklin and Elvis Costello. He’s especially well known for his collaborations with lyricist Hal David.

The songs of Bacharach and David form the basis of a jukebox musical titles “Burt & Me” that opens this week at Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota.

Among the classic songs in the show are “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?,” “Wishin’ and Hopin’,” “Promises, Promises,” “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” “I Say a Little Prayer” and “Always Something There to Remind Me.”

They’re woven together into a coming-of-age story. Joe and Lacey are high school sweethearts who share the love of basketball and Burt Bacharach music. College separates them, and the geographical distance leads to the end of their romance. But they meet again years later, and Joe comes up with an elaborate scheme to get Lacey back.

“Burt & Me” is directed by FST associate artist Jason Cannon, who also directed “Million Dollar Quartet” for FST. The cast includes Nick Anastasia, Stacey Harris, Jillian Louis and Savannah Sinclair, all of whom will be familiar to faithful FST audience members.

Details: Through June 18, Gompertz Theatre at Florida Studio Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave, Sarasota. $25-$39. 941-366-9000, floridastudiotheatre.org.

This story was originally published May 31, 2017 at 4:50 PM with the headline "‘Burt & Me’ celebrates the songs of Burt Bacharach and Hal David."