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Regional Reviews: Phoenix She Loves Me
Set in a 1930s Budapest parfumerie, the musical centers on two of the shop's employees, Georg Nowack and Amalia Balash, who quickly develop a mutual dislike for each other after clashing at work. However, unbeknownst to each other, they have been corresponding anonymously through a lonely hearts pen-pal service and have fallen deeply in love even though they don't know what their pen pal looks like. As their workplace rivalry continues, the audience gets to enjoy the delicious irony of watching these two people gradually discover that the person they adore is the very person standing right in front of them. Based on the Hungarian play Parfumerie, She Loves Me premiered on Broadway in 1963, with a score by Jerry Bock (music) and Sheldon Harnick (lyrics) and a book by Joe Masteroff. The original play also inspired the films The Shop Around the Corner, the movie musical In the Good Old Summertime, and the hit comedy You've Got Mail. Bock and Harnick's sophisticated score is filled with memorable melodies, from the exuberant "Vanilla Ice Cream," to the yearning "Will He Like Me?" and the joyful and romantic title song, while Masteroff's book balances witty comedy with genuine emotional warmth. As the couple at the center of the story, whose prickly relationship provides most of the show's humor and much of its romance, Reece Harris and Katie Allen bring an appealing sincerity to Georg and Amalia. Their chemistry gives the central love story the warmth it needs, making it easy to root for their success and the eventual realization that their feelings for each other are stronger than and overshadow their workplace frustrations. They both do great work in creating believable characters who dislike each other at first, yet from their smart acting choices, facial expressions, and body language, we slowly see the couple's feelings toward each other soften and change. The supporting characters, who all work in the shop, add much of the show's comic sparkle. Meg Faraoni is wonderful as the flirtatious Ilona, the show's hopeless romantic who realizes she needs to make some changes in her pursuit of love. Cody DeLisa plays the kind of character you love to hate, the charming but self-important Steven Kodaly, with an appropriate amount of arrogance. Georg's friend, Hector Coris provides an abundance of comic charm as well as a warm, human touch as Sipos Ladislav, the show's kind hearted, voice of reason, while Isaac Greenland shines as the exuberant delivery boy Arpad. Clay Sanderson is good as the shop's owner, who is facing some personal issues of his own, and Ixy Utpadel has a lot of fun as the waiter who leads the frenzied "A Romantic Atmosphere." The small ensemble create a believable series of shop customers and townspeople. Jere Van Patten's direction makes good use of the in-the-round venue with staging that surrounds the audience with humorous moments while also creating an intimate atmosphere that works especially well for the show's romantic story. Van Patten's staging and Breona Conrad's choreography deliver some very fun moments, especially during the frantic "Twelve Days to Christmas" and the lively "A Romantic Atmosphere" which provide plenty of opportunities for the physical comedy to land from all sides. The costumes by Heather Riddle and Ixy Utpadel's hair and makeup immediately establish the period, giving the production an appealing 1930s look, and while Cheryl Schaar's set and the props by Priscilla Bertling are somewhat minimal, they all help to transport the audience into the world of the Budapest shop. The music direction by Roger McKay derives some lovely notes from the cast, especially Harris' soaring vocals. With an engaging cast, confident direction, period-perfect creative elements and one of musical theatre's most appealingly romantic scores, Don Bluth Front Row Theatre's production of She Loves Me offers a delightful reminder that sometimes the person we are looking for is closer than we realize. She Loves Me runs through October 31, 2026, at the Don Bluth Front Row Theatre, 8989 E. Vía Linda #118, Scottsdale AZ. For tickets and information, please visit www.donbluthfrontrowtheatre.com or call 480 314-0841. Directed by Jere Van Patten Cast: |
