Summer theater preview: 'Fiddler,' 'Footloose,' 'Bonnie & Clyde' and 12 more must-see shows

Love is in the air this summer at Long Island's theaters in couplings that run the gamut from light and breezy ("Legally Blonde," "The Music Man") to dark and twisted (the new "Gaslight" update "Deceived"). The season will kick off with a pair of romances set against the backdrop of World War II ("South Pacific," "Bob & Jean: A True Love Story") and then heat up with a pair of shows spotlighting tempestuous real-life couples Bonnie and Clyde and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.

And if you're looking for big names, Alec Baldwin, Melissa Errico and Chazz Palminteri are among the stars who'll be gracing Long Island stages. Here are 15 show you'll want to check out,

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (The Argyle Theater, 34 W. Main St., Babylon, through June 15) A Jewish milkman has his share of worries, from marrying off his daughters to dealing with antisemitic sentiment in his village. Still, he manages to find plenty of time for singing and dancing to "Fiddler" favorites, including "Tradition" and "If I Were a Rich Man." 631-261-2900, engemantheater.com

SOUTH PACIFIC (John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport, through June 29)

Nurse Nellie Forbush is gonna wash that man right out of her hair — or so she thinks — in this Rodgers & Hammerstein classic set on an island in the titular region during World War II. The score, which features such standards as "Some Enchanted Evening," "Happy Talk" and "Bali Ha'i," ranks among the greatest in musical theater. The director is Hunter Foster, brother of Sutton Foster. 631-261-2900, engemantheater.com

BOB & JEAN, A TRUE LOVE STORY (Bay Street Theater and Sag Harbor Center for the Arts, 1 Long Wharf, Sag Harbor, May 27-June 15)

Sag Harbor playwright Robert Schenkkan's biographical play is a love letter to his mom and dad told through, appropriately, love letters. Their World War II romance — dad was a bomb disposal officer, mom was a USO showgirl — unfolds through their correspondence to one another. Lucky Long Islanders will get to see it before anyone else as it's a world premiere. 631-725-9500, baystreet.org

HALF TIME (Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson, May 24-June 22)

These seniors got game, specifically basketball. Based on a true story, it follows the exploits of 10 dancers — all over 60 — who think they have all the right moves to perform at a halftime show. Unfortunately, those dance moves turn out to be hip-hop style. 631-928-9100, theatrethree.com

LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL (Madison Theatre at Molloy University, 1000 Hempstead Ave., Rockville Centre, May 30-June 8) Ah, the trials of sorority queen Elle Woods. After getting dumped by her boyfriend, she heads to Harvard Law School — along with her adorable Chihuahua — to win back her ex. Soon she discovers that she'd rather be a lawyer than get married. 631-928-9100, madisontheatreny.org

PRETTY WOMAN — THE MUSICAL (The Gateway, 215 South Country Rd., Bellport, June 20-July 13) If Cinderella was practicing the world's oldest profession, this would be her story. The musical about a businessman who hires a prostitute to accompany him to some important events and then falls for her is based on the hit 1990 movie rom-com that made Julia Roberts a household name. Rocker Bryan Adams co-wrote the songs with Jim Vallance. 631-286-1133, thegateway.org

DECEIVED (Bay Street Theater and Sag Harbor Center for the Arts, 1 Long Wharf, Sag Harbor, June 24-July 20) Johnna Wright and Patty Jamieson penned this new adaptation of Patrick Hamilton's thriller "Gaslight" about a woman named Bella who is slowly being driven insane by her domineering husband. The key difference in this version is that there's no police inspector to come to the rescue, so it's up to Bella to find a way to save herself. Avoid getting a manicure beforehand, because this promises to be a real nail-biter. 631-725-9500, baystreet.org

FOOTLOOSE (John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport, July 10-Aug. 24) There's a new kid in town and he likes to boogie. But that's not in step with the local preacher's ban on dancing. Based on the hit 1984 movie starring Kevin Bacon, it features a roster of top 40 hits including the title number, “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” and “Holding Out for a Hero." 631-261-2900, engemantheater.com

THE MUSIC MAN (The Argyle Theater, 34 W. Main St., Babylon, July 10-Aug. 31) There's trouble in River City when smooth-talking con man Harold Hill blows into town with a scheme to get the locals to buy his instruments. His plans get sidetracked after falling for Marian the librarian. 631-261-2900, engemantheater.com

CELEBRITY AUTOBIOGRAPHY (Guild Hall, 158 Main St., East Hampton, July 26) The popular show in which celebs read the memoirs of other celebs like Vanna White and Sylvester Stallone is both a crowd pleaser and a laugh getter. No word yet on who'll be reading but frequent cast members have included Garden City's Susan Lucci and Huntington's Ralph Macchio. 631-324-0806, guildhall.org

BONNIE AND CLYDE (Bay Street Theater and Sag Harbor Center for the Arts, 1 Long Wharf, Sag Harbor, July 29-Aug. 24) Rockabilly, blues and gospel infuse the songs by Frank Wildhorn and Don Black in this musical about Depression-era bank robbers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. A major flop on Broadway (it ran for less than a month in 2011), the show has since developed a cult following. 631-725-9500, baystreet.org

PHANTOM (The Gateway, 215 South Country Rd., Bellport, Aug. 1-31) This isn't the Andrew Lloyd Webber version, but the basic story — a mysterious figure will do whatever it takes to help the soprano he loves from afar become a star — is the same. And if chandeliers must fall, so be it. The songs are by Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit, the team from Broadway's "Nine." 631-286-1133, thegateway.org

MY SON THE WAITER: A JEWISH TRAGEDY & STILL NOT FAMOUS (Jeanne Rimsky Theater, Landmark at Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington, July 31-Aug. 24) Like many an aspiring actor, Brad Zimmerman "temporarily" waited tables while hoping for his big break. After 29 years of that, he penned his one-man show "My Son the Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy," which was an Off-Broadway hit in 2014. Now the former waiter is serving up laughs in this updated version. landmarkonmainstreet.org

THE FITZGERALDS: A READING WITH MUSIC (Guild Hall, 158 Main St., East Hampton, Aug. 16)

Two homegrown talents — Massapequa's Alec Baldwin and Manhasset's Melissa Errico — team up for this reading that looks at the complicated relationship between writer F. Scott Fitzgerald and his fragile artist-author wife, Zelda, as told through letters they wrote to one another. 631-324-0806, guildhall.org

A BRONX TALE: THE ONE-MAN SHOW STARRING CHAZZ PALMINTIERI (The Suffolk, 118 E. Main St., Riverhead, Aug. 17) Palminteri takeson all 18 roles in this autobiographical play that starts with his childhood — and witnessing a gangland killing at age 9 — to having his screenplay for “A Bronx Tale” made into a movie thanks to a chance meeting with actor Robert De Niro. 631-727-4343, thesuffolk.org