She Loves Me

Musical Theatre tragics, myself included, long found the relative local obscurity of this Broadway musical from the creators of Fiddler on the Roof hard to grasp, having listened rapturously and repeatedly to the original stellar cast recording. After decades of ‘cult’ status, award winning Broadway and West End revivals have spread awareness of this 1960s charm show, now receiving an intimate professional production at Sydney’s Hayes Theatre.

She Loves Me is based on Hungarian Miklós László’s 1937 play Parfumerie, which inspired films including the Judy Garland MGM musical In the Good Old Summertime and You’ve Got Mail. It’s a tale of the romantic twists and sexual trysts amongst the employees at Maraczek's Parfumerie; a warm, witty romantic musical comedy, its effervescent score has more than a dash of European operetta and gipsy music melded with its Broadway lilt.

Sparks fly between parfumerie employees Amalia Balash (Caitlin Berry) and Georg Nowack (Rowan Witt), unaware that they’ve actually fallen in love with each other through their anonymous lonely hearts correspondence. Berry and Witt transition attractively, edging their way, by degree, from their prickly initial chemistry. Witt’s exuberant performance of the title song and Berry’s warm, accomplished take on the Barbara Cook signature song “Ice Cream” are highlights.

Yet comedy shines through as brightly as romance, thanks to Zoe Gertz, as the musical’s other feisty female character, Ilona Ritter, utterly nailing both her defiant ballad “I Resolve” and the comic gem “A Trip To The Library”. Jay James-Moody mines every ounce of comedy in his dual roles of Ladislav Sipos and the Waiter, further layering them with his own brand of nuance.

Tony Llewellyn-Jones delivers both the whimsical and curmudgeonly sides of aging store owner Ladislow Maraczek, Joel Granger captures the youthful exuberance of delivery boy Arpad Lazlo, while Kurt Whelan is suitably smooth and oily as debonair rogue Stephen Kodai.

Suzanne Steele and Georgina Walker bring verve and a sense of fun as the customers.

Despite the small cast, at times the Hayes stage almost bursts at the seams with the frenetic energy of Leslie Bell’s choreography, yet in quieter moments, Erin James’ direction sensitively plumbs the diverse moods and moments of the piece.

Isabel Hudson’s set evokes the store attractively on the small Hayes stage, a delightfully reminiscent mix of chocolate box, toy theatre and antique doll-house.

When the production began with an ‘unplugged’ trio of musicians, led by musical director Steven Kreamer on accordian, I wondered for a moment if we were in for the treat of an evening of acoustic musical theatre, but it was not to be.

Sound in this venue doesn’t always complement the singers to full advantage, and while there was a well balanced mix between voices and the excellent band, sometimes it came at the expense of absolute vocal beauty and warmth.

Still, the secret is finally out in Sydney about this little gem of a show, and I can only hope musical theatre fans get out in force to be delighted by She Loves Me.

Neil Litchfield

Images: Noni Carroll Photography.