By Nate Brown
The Smith Theatre in the Noorda Center for the Arts at Utah Valley University in Orem is an enjoyable venue for UVU’s production of She Loves Me. The Noorda Center has a clean, neo-industrial feel, with shining cement floors and bold lines in its architecture. Once in the Smith Theatre, you’ll find comfortable general accommodations where every seat has a fantastic view of the stage.
As you await the production, directed by Amanda Crabb and choreographed by Pat Debenham, the curtain shimmers with a light that seems intrinsic to the fabric. Mesmerized by the glow, you may be caught off guard as the music begins to play and the cast takes the stage while the curtain remains down.
The ensemble (Brennan Newkirk, Rilyn Gardner, Abigail Watts, Kat Hawley, Danna Facer, Merick Masters, Joseph Campbell, Caleb Collier, Preston Edward Smith) of She Loves Me surrounds the audience as they take the stage in an opening song with chaotic crisscrossing choreography simulating the busy atmosphere of a typical summer day in 1934 Budapest. The ensemble deserves a great deal of praise here – they are mixed with the regular cast in this opening number, but every person stands out for their talent and poise, as though each was a named character.
Once the curtain finally rises on the parfumerie shop, Jacob Thomason (playing Mr. Maracseck) and Sam Sanduck (playing Ilona Ritter) very quickly stand out from the cast. Thomason portrays the parfumerie shop owner with a jovial comfort that feels natural and compelling, and his voice commands authority while still coming across as kind. Sanduck contrasts the strength of womanhood with the seductive power of a woman’s passion repeatedly throughout the show, and she does so with grace, comedy, and power, with a healthy sprinkle of sultriness.
The story of She Loves Me is one that is likely familiar to you, whether you’ve viewed the 1938 Play Parfumerie by Miklos Lazlo or seen one of the movie adaptations: Shop Around the Corner (1940), In the Good Old Summertime (1949), or You’ve Got Mail (1998). The story follows the love affair of Georg Nowack (Nick Crapo) and Amalia Balash (McKell Petersen) as they find themselves to be bickering rivals in their day to day interactions, and anonymously fall in love with each other through their heartfelt letters.
Crapo is energetic and frenetic on stage. This is a common enough quality among college actors, but Crapo combines his movement with strength and control, where even cartwheels don’t cause a bump in his vocals. Petersen maintains a pitch, rhythm, and tone in her voice that will transport you to the forties, and she shows the control and power of a well-trained soprano. The chemistry between the two burns hot and cold throughout, and the slow warming to the finale is authentic and endearing.
The remaining named cast members play their parts well, contrasting their personalities perfectly. Jordan Briggs plays the lecherous Steven Kodaly with one part smarminess and three parts seductive confidence, while Josh Needles differs by combining heart and cowardice as the good intentioned best friend, Ladislav Sipos. Finally, Logan Murphy as the delivery boy Arpad Laszlo not only portrays a teenager with uncanny (perhaps authentic?) accuracy but handles a bicycle in crowds like a New York bike messenger.
The set designed by Rick Patterson, create an authentic and often magical world for the production. The costumes designed by La Beene have an occasional unfortunate bunching for Miss Petersen and have a hard time concealing Miss Sanduck’s slip in the second act, but otherwise are beautiful and authentically portray the cast and ensemble as members of society in the late 1930’s. Lighting designed by Matt Taylor, sound designed by Hayley Christensen, and Makeup/Hair/Wig designed by Kate Backman complete the aesthetics of the show.
She Loves Me at the Smith Theatre in the Noorda at Utah Valley University is a joyful performance that is appropriate for all audiences. Write a love letter to that significant someone in your life, and invite them to this show.
UVU’s Department of Theatrical Arts presents She Loves Me, Book by Joe Masteroff, Music by Jerry Bock, Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
Smith Theatre, The Noorda Center for the Arts, Faculty Annex, Orem, UT, 84097 (parking is free after 5 PM and there are parking lots to the north of the facility)
April 12-13, 15-20, 7:30 PM, Matinée April 20, 2:00 PM
Tickets: $14 General, $10 Student/Senior, $8 Child (Under 17)
Contact: tickets@uvu.edu
UVU School of the Arts Facebook Page
She Loves Me Facebook Event
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