Playwright: Joe Masteroff; Music: Jerry Bock; Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick At: Writers' Theatre, 325 Tudor, Glencoe. Phone: 847-242-6000; $45-$70. Runs through: Nov. 21
Most connoisseurs of sophisticated American musical comedy know that She Loves Me is one of the most beloved works of the genre. And if you're unfamiliar with this delightful 1963 musical, then Writers' Theatre's lovely and intimate production of She Loves Me is a perfect way to start falling in love with this wonderful show.
Featuring an entertaining character-driven score by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick ( Fiddler on the Roof ) with a witty script by Joe Masteroff ( Cabaret ) , She Loves Me is essentially the oft-retold romance of sparring co-workers who are unaware that they're actually letter-writing correspondents in love. She Loves Me and its 1930s Hungarian parfumerie setting is just one of many iterations the story that includes films like The Shop Around the Corner from 1940 and You've Got Mail from 1998.
But instead of just focusing on the two lovers, She Loves Me also features a memorable supporting cast of characters with their own concerns ( and quirks ) that are a magnet for any adventurous actor. Luckily, Writers' Theatre's artistic director Michael Halberstam has assembled a super-talented cast that is more than up to the challenges of fleshing out this finely crafted love story.
Now some might find Rod Thomas to be far too tall and attractive to be the leading man Georg Nowack. If Georg was as good-looking as Thomas, he probably would be warding off women instead of resorting to letter-writing through a lonely hearts personal ad.
But if you can get over this looks-based bias, Thomas makes for a fine and sensitive Georg who values literature and culture smarts in a woman. As Georg's annoying co-worker/letter-writing lover Amalia Balash, Jessie Mueller brings plenty of spark and intelligence to her go-getter character. Now only they both showed a bit more pained longing in their performances, then Thomas and Mueller would be emotionally perfect.
In the supporting roles, Writers' She Loves Me abounds in luxury casting. Veteran Equity actors like Kevin Gudahl ( as the realist clerk Ladislav Sipos ) , Heidi Kettenring ( as the "experienced" cashier Ilona Ritter ) , Ross Lehman ( as the wronged shop owner Mr. Maraczek ) and James Rank ( the shop's lothario ) all mix well with theatrically savvy up-and-comers like Bernard Balbot ( the earnest delivery boy Arpad ) and ensemble members Kelli Clevenger, Andrew Goetten, Stephanie Herman, Bethany Thomas and Jeremy Rill.
In such an intimate setting at Writers' Theatre, every lyric and line of dialogue has a much more immediate impact. This is only beneficial to such a character-driven show like She Loves Me, which has always placed the characters first over typical musical theater spectacle in telling this amusing and touching story of hope and love.