Go! Feature 

When Karie-Lee Sutherland was first starting out as a singer, her teachers told her to listen to Rosemary Clooney.

“They said that I could learn a lot from her in terms of style, phrasing and timing,” she said. “We hear a lot about her because she’s a hometown girl, but she was also one of the greats.

“When they talk about the great singers of the 20th century, after Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney is right up there.”

Next week, Sutherland can show how much she learned as the director and one of the performers in “A Dash of Rosemary,” a biographical revue opening at the Showboat Majestic.

“It’s mostly a tribute,” she said. “We don’t impersonate Rosemary Clooney, but the show tells a story from her life and then follows with a song that might be in the right mood or from the right time of her life.”

Also performing are Ty Yadzinski and Leslie Jo Bissett.

Clooney was born in Maysville, Ky., then moved to Cincinnati with her family as a teenager and graduated from Western Hills High School.

When the Tony Paster Orchestra passed through town, she signed on and sang with that outfit from 1946-49. In 1951, she recorded her first and biggest hit, “Come On-a My House.”

The show includes 35 songs, including “Our Love is Here to Stay,” “Tenderly,” “Hey There” and “Sisters.”

“We save ‘Mambo Italiano’ for later in the show because it’s one of the big productions,” Sutherland said. “But with so many songs, you can think of your favorite Rosemary Clooney tune and I’m sure we’ll be doing it.”

how to go
WHAT: “A Dash of Rosemary.”
WHERE: Showboat Majestic, Cincinnati Public Landing, Cincinnati.
WHEN: May 16-June 3.
COST: $17 adults; $16 seniors/students.
MORE INFO: (513) 241-6550;
cincinnatilandmarkproductions.com.