A second She Loves Me Review

ICCT - The advertising for Iowa City Community Theatre’s production of She Loves Me claims that the show is considered by many to be "one of the most underappreciated musicals ever written." That’s truly unfortunate, as She Loves Me is an absolute delight, and ICCT’s production more than does it justice at the community theatre level.

Based on Ernst Lubisch’s movie adaptation of Miklós László’s Parfumerie, She Loves Me follows the story of Georg Nowak (Jon Meadows), a longtime employee at a perfumery who is angered when Amalia Balash (Megan Sands) walks in off the street and quickly obtains a job by ingeniously selling a "musical candy box" as a diet aid. Unbeknownst to either of them, Georg and Amalia are also anonymous pen-pal lovers, each completely unaware that their "Dear Friend" is in fact the co-worker they dislike so much in person.

László’s Parfumerie yarn has been retold not only as She Loves Me, but also in the movies The Shop Around the Corner (1940), In the Good Old Summertime (1949), and You've Got Mail (1998). Theatergoers needn’t be wary, though; the familiarity of this tale will not breed contempt. It’s a story that has remained surprisingly delightful through its multiple incarnations, and the musical version is no exception.

The major strength of ICCT’s She Loves Me is its two lead performers. The role of the thirty-something perfumery clerk Georg Novak is competently portrayed by a boyishly handsome Jon Meadows, whose charm and amiability serve the audience well as a centering, narrative force, while Megan Sands’ portrayal of love interest Amalia Balash is, in a word, phenomenal. Of particular note is Ms. Sands’ exemplary, near-operatic work during Vanilla Ice Cream, perhaps She Loves Me’s most memorable song. Though the show’s tepidly written romance is not its greatest strength, this production is extremely well served by its talented lead performers, and while the overall chemistry between Meadows and Sands tarries more on the side of goofily uncomfortable than amorously tense, their frequent terse interplays remain endearing.

The two biggest highlights of the show for this review are, however, not its leads. The first is Jim Verry’s scene-stealing take as the Head Waiter, which is positively uproarious. From his costume to his hair to his body language, Mr. Verry turns what could be a throwaway role into a persistently memorable performance. The second highlight is Nora Schershel’s ingratiating characterization of the looking-for-love Ilona Ritter, specifically in her song A Trip to the Library. Ms. Schershel’s tone and expressions embody the role nicely, and she unfailingly brings a smile every face in attendance.

Though these are the highlights, make no mistake: every role in this performance is strong and well cast, from the fatherly shop owner Mr. Marazcek (Howard Meadows) to the excitable employees Arpad (Rex Van Dorpe) and Sipos (Chuck Dufano). Even the unlikable Kodaly (Zakary Morton) is portrayed with aplomb.

In addition, Josh Sazon’s direction exhibits an expert knowledge of timing and space utilization that only comes from experience. Sazon reigns in a tightly-paced musical that doesn’t leave the audience looking down at their wrists every five minutes.

That tight pace, however, chiefly contributes to one of the production’s few missteps: its scene changes. As gorgeous as the set is, there are a couple of during-show scene changes that become so loud they actually interfere with (and even drown out) the dialogue being spoken elsewhere onstage, an awkward distraction that effectively removes the audience from the moment. Luckily, these distractions are relatively minor; the outstanding, singing, acting, and live orchestra capably pull the audience back in. And, with the exception of one-too-many instances of breaking the fourth wall, you’ll be hard-pressed to find many additional flaws in this production.

If you happen to be on the fence about seeing this show, get off the fence and buy a ticket. And do so quickly because I hear they’re selling faster than musical candy boxes.

--Andrew R. Juhl

Andrew R. Juhl is an area author and director. He has been recently active with both the City Circle Acting Company of Coralville and Rage Theatrics.

A She Loves Me review

ICCT - If you’ve ever had co-workers who dated, or dated a co-worker yourself, you know that the workplace drama can be bitter, even vitriolic, as well as aggravating, frustrating, and demeaning—and of course, very very funny. It is this kind of humor that drives Bock and Harnick’s musical She Loves Me.

If you’re familiar with the 1940 film The Shop Around the Corner (or the 1998 electronic-age update, You’ve Got Mail!), you know the plot: a clerk (Georg Nowack, portrayed by Jon Meadows) has his simple life turned upside down when a disagreeable yet charming young woman (Amalia Balash, portrayed by Megan Sands) takes a job at his shop. Their relationship is complicated by the fact that they have already met, in a sense: these two rivals have been communicating anonymously through letters, and they plan to meet for a blind date soon!

The show moves forward with the typical romantic comedy fare: the two write gushing unsigned love letters to each other after work, while getting in spats to rival Benedick and Beatrice the next day. As it goes on, life at the shop is dominated by the drama, at it is only too obvious what is going on. "They like each other," the clerk Sipos tells Arpad the delivery boy. "Then why don’t we tell them?" The boy replies.

The plot is familiar, perhaps to a fault. The musical is based on the obscure play Parfumerie by Hungarian playwright Miklos Laszlo. The adaptation is faithful but seems to suffer in technique. While Bock and Harnick are certainly competent composers, this piece has none of the magic and passion of Fiddler on the Roof. It starts very slowly and is full of song-and-dance numbers that do nothing to move the plot. It does, however, have a real touch of humanity and charm, and that is where this production shined.

I’m always pleased to find good acting in a musical; so often it’s overlooked. Jon Meadows, who plays Georg, is of course handsome and witty and has a wonderful voice, but his real strength is in his honesty. The character of Georg is believable and inspires a lot of empathy. There is a real connection with his costar Megan Sands (who also has an impressive voice). The supporting cast is solid as well. Zakary Morton is amusingly sleazy as the womanizing Kodaly, and Nora Scherschel is hilarious as the scorned Ilona. And everyone sounds great - the leads, the supporting cast, ensemble and orchestra.

I wouldn’t look for any life-changing moments. This is a light-hearted musical, and it’s basically a lot of fun. But if you’re looking for something to make you laugh and smile and feel like dancing, this is the show to go see. Bring a lover, or a co-worker...or both.

--James Trainor

James recently graduated from Cornell College with a Bachelor of Special Studies in English and Theater. He has also acted and directed for Stage Left Theater in Cedar Rapids, and is currently preparing to direct Flu Season there in March.

Weekend Theatre roundup

There's great theatre available this weekend. Don't miss Doubt at Riverside. Box office information here. And She Loves Me opens at ICCT tonight, although word is at least Saturday night is already sold out. Fortunately, there is a Sunday matinee. Ticket information here. Check back next week for reviews of She Loves Me.

Backstage with She Loves Me

ICCT - We recently had a chance to interview Josh Sazon, the director of ICCT's upcoming production of She Loves Me. Read the interview and find out which local celebrity will have a cameo appearance on opening night.

First of all, what lead you to choose this particular musical?

Josh: I chose this musical because it’s a very good musical—charming and sophisticated music, literate and droll lyrics and a solid, well-constructed book. The quality is of a calibre that one would pretty much expect from the creators of Fiddler On The Roof (lyricist Sheldon Harnick and composer Jerry Bock) and Cabaret (book author Joe Masteroff). It’s also a musical that is not that well-known, one that has not been done all that often and one that has not been made into a movie. It’s nice to do a show where you don’t have an audience perpetually comparing a production to a movie adaptation.

I know that the musical is based on the Hungarian play Parfumerie by Miklos Laszlo. Did you use that play at all when creating your version of She Loves Me? If so, in what way?

Josh: Actually, the musical is based more on Ernst Lubisch’s movie adaptation of Parfumerie. The Shop Around The Corner came out in the late thirties, with Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. The musical hews much more closely to the movie version. I’ve not seen it since I started work on the production... nor have I seen In The Good Old Summertime and You’ve Got Mail, two other movies based on the original Parfumerie... but subconsciously I know that it does influence, in fairly subtle ways, how I might stage a scene.

What is the music like in this show. Are there solo showstopper numbers? Ensemble pieces?

Josh: The musical is pretty intimate, and some folks opine that the lack of a showstopper comparable to, say, Hello Dolly, which ran ‘round the same time as She Loves Me, makes it not quite as popular. Perhaps the best known song in the musical is Vanilla Ice Cream, which is a wonderful song but also a song that you really can’t sing and do justice to unless you’re a trained soprano. Thankfully we’ve been blessed with absolutely wonderful voices in this production, who do full justice to the songs.

Tell us a little about the rehearsal process – the highs, the lows, the fun stuff, the challenges...

Josh: Perhaps the biggest challenge in putting up a show like this is the weather. We had to cancel about a week’s worth of rehearsal thus far. And while our cast seems to be maintaining good health, it is also cold and flu season—and I do worry about that. That having been said, the rehearsal process is, as always, a joy. The score for She Loves Me is perhaps more difficult than most musical theater scores, and it is a joy when a performer finally clicks with their musical number. One of our cast members, a fairly experienced actor, is making his musical theater debut. Or rather, his solo debut. He started off pretty insecure about his singing voice, but he is coming along wonderfully!

What part of the choreography are you most excited about – what should we looking for?

Josh: The show is definitely not dance-heavy. Another reason why it appealed to me! But it does have its moments. The show takes place in Central Europe, and the dance numbers which are choreographed by Mark McCusker, who’s best known for associating with Iowa Dance Fest and Arts a la Carte, will definitely have a Hungarian flavor to them. To say more would be to spoil what is shaping to be pretty exuberant number.

Talk to me a little bit about your actors, if you could. Are they ICCT veterans we’ve seen before or new folks or both?

Josh: We have quite a few veterans of ICCT, including Howard Meadows, Jon Meadows, Chuck Dufano, Rex Van Dorpe and Jim Verry, among others. But we also have number of newbies as well. Our leading lady, Megan Sands, has appeared in a number of City Circle productions, but is making her ICCT debut and we are very happy to have her. Another principal actor, Zakary Morton, has done work with TCR. We have actors, including UI undergrad Nora Scherschel, who have come from out of state and are making their local area debut. We even have performers who have not done any theater work at all, but they all seem to be having a ball. All in all it’s a wonderful mix of people that we’re working with.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Josh: I hope folks get to see it! As I said, it is not terribly well-known, but it is a very good musical. In a way, ICCT gambled quite a bit on doing this—their first musical in over a year! And it would be nice if their gamble pays off. Our musical director is Ed Kottick, a retired professor from the UI School of Music, and he is bringing in a wonderful, seventeen-piece orchestra for the show. Also, we will also be having cameo appearances of noted Iowa City bigwigs—beginning with the new mayor of Iowa City on opening night!


Any show that features Regenia Bailey is one you don't want to miss. For more information about the show, go here.

She Loves Me cast

ICCT - ICCT's first 2008 show will be the musical She Loves Me. The book is by Joe Masteroff with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and music by Jerry Bock. It opens February 1, 2008. The plot revolves around Budapest shop employees Georg Nowack and Amalia Balash who bicker at work while remaining completely unaware that each is the other's secret pen pal met through lonely-hearts ads. Sounds like the Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan movie You've Got Mail, doesn't it? That's because both She Loves Me and that movie are based on the Hungarian play Parfumerie by Miklos Laszlo. More information about ICCT's version is here.

Amalia - Megan Sands
Georg - Jon Meadows
Ilona - Nora Scherschel
Kodaly - Zakary Morton
Maraczek - Howard Meadows
Sipos - Chuck Dufano
Arpad - Rex Van Dorpe
Waiter - Monty

Ensemble:
Peter Carroll
John Croschek
Robyn McCright
Kathy McDonald
Elisabeth Ross
Glenn Singer
Jill Van Dorpe

It is directed by Joshue Sazon with Ed Kottick as musical director and Monty as choreographer.