'She Loves Me': A resplendent revival

‘SHE LOVES ME’: Laura Benanti & Zachary Levi. Photo: Joan Marcus

SHE LOVES ME
Book by Joe Masteroff
Music by Jerry Bock
Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
Choreography by Warren Carlyle
Directed by Scott Ellis
Through June 12, 2016
Studio 54
254 West 54th Street
(212-719-1300), www.RoundaboutTheatre.org

By David NouNou

An exquisite, delicious bon-bon of a musical.

In October of 1963 when She Loves Me opened, it hardly made a ripple and barely lasted nine months. That was still the era of the super spectacular musicals. Two dynamic divas were waiting in the wings. Carol Channing opened in January 1964 in Hello, Dolly! and Barbra Streisand torpedoed in March as Funny Girl. What chance did poor David have against two Goliaths?

Thanks to the impeccable taste of the Roundabout Theatre and Scott Ellis, who manage to resurrect these lost gems (last year the glorious revival of On the Twentieth Century), they have brought to life She Loves Me for the second time. The first was in 1993, and the current incarnation is even more delectable.

Set in the summer of 1934 Budapest in and around Maraczek’s Parfumerie, David Rockwell’s gorgeous sets transport the viewer to another world where life was gentler and shopping was an actual experience; where people waited on you and said, “Thank you, please come again.” On this particular day in this lovely store, there is a store manager, Georg Nowack (Zachary Levi) and a young lady, Amalia Balash (Laura Benanti) who is applying for a position as a salesgirl. Needless to say, there is an instant dislike and hostility in their relationship. As chance would have it and unbeknownst to either one, both have pen pals named “Dear Friend.” If this plot sounds familiar, it is. It was first done as a movie in 1940 by the name of The Shop Around the Corner and remade in 1998 as You’ve Got Mail, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

In this store there are a delightful array of characters: the mantrap, Ilona Ritter (Jane Krakowski), her on again/off again philandering boyfriend, Steven Kodaly (Gavin Creel); the store owner, Mr. Maraczek (Byron Jennings), fellow clerk, Ladislav Sipos (Michael McGrath); and the delivery boy, Arpad Laszlo (Nicholas Barasch). I mention all these characters because they are integral to the story. Back then, they actually wrote songs for all the supporting players and the entire cast have so many moments in which they can shine.

Scott Ellis has polished this gem into a brilliant diamond and set it with an incredible cast. Laura Benanti as Amalia is enchanting. Her soprano voice is reminiscent of Barbara Cook’s (who originated the role of Amalia) and Ms. Benanti’s rendition of “Ice Cream” brings back memories of the great Ms. Cook. Zachary Levi proves he is a masterful musical leading man. He doesn’t rely on just his good looks; he actually is a singing actor.

It’s so great to have Jane Krakowski back on Broadway. She has been in TV land way too long. She is in great voice, with legs to die for and you’ll see why, and gives a much-needed sexiness to Ilona that no other actress has given her. In contrast to Ilona, Kodaly has to be smarmy and debonair, but Gavin Creel plays him slick and lackluster. I’ll insert a factoid here: the only Tony Award Hello, Dolly! lost in 1964 was for best musical supporting actor to Jack Cassidy as Kodaly. No one could do sleazy, smarmy and debonair like the late Mr. Cassidy could and still be loveable. Michael McGrath and Byron Jennings are two Broadway veterans that add humor and class to any show they are in. Nicholas Barasch as Arpad is just bursting with glee.

Other than the title song “She Loves Me” and “Ice Cream,” none of the other songs in this show ever caught on. There are a lot of charming songs for the individual characters, thus they get diluted. However, it is still a delightful score. You would never have known back in 1963 when you were leaving the Eugene O’Neill Theatre after a performance of She Loves Me that the very next year, 1964, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick would introduce the world to not only one of the greatest scores, but to one of the greatest musicals of all time, Fiddler on the Roof. Both shows deal with the foibles, loves and humanity of its people; She Loves Me on a small scale and Fiddler on a universal scale.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published March 23, 2016
Reviewed at press performance on March 22, 2016