A beloved often-told story comes vibrantly to life next week at a stage near you
By YAKIR FELDMANAVITAL SYKORA (Amalia) and Shimi Herman (Georg) run their lines in preparation for opening night of ‘She Loves You.’(photo credit: ITA ARBIT)
If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then the 1937 play Parfumerie by Hungarian playwright Miklós László is exceptionally flattered.The first famous adaptation of the play was the beloved and highly successful 1940 romantic comedy The Shop Around the Corner, starring James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan, included in many 100-all-time-best movie lists. Nine years later, the adaptation In the Good Old Summertime with Judy Garland hit the cinemas, and again it was a major critical and commercial success.Updated to the computer age and memorably brought to life by Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, the story won the hearts of a new generation as You’ve Got Mail.Now we have an opportunity discover the secret of the eternal popularity of this timeless tale in J-Town Playhouse’s inspired production of She Loves Me.Set in the heart of fashionable Budapest, Hungary, in the early 1930s, it tells the story of two people who meet on paper through a Lonely Hearts Club and fall in love. Little do they know that in person they are rival employees at the stylish Maraczek Perfumerie and are barely capable of exchanging a civil word.When one discovers the identity of the other, the fun and games begin and, with the help of fellow co-workers and their various dramas, the plot comes to a head.Powered by one of the most beautiful scores ever written (by Bock & Harnick of Fiddler on the Roof) and ably performed by an insanely talented cast under the direction of Aviella Trapido, She Loves Me will have you laughing and crying – sometimes at the same time. An exploration and celebration of relationships, blind dates, deception, mystery and hope told through laughter, tears and music, it moves and inspires audiences.Evan Kent, who plays the role of Mr. Maraczek, says, “It’s a beautiful show. It’s just sort of a jewel box of a show that expresses so well onstage very human emotions.”Shimi Herman (George) adds, “It’s a really funny show. It’s a wonderful cast of talented people. The songs are mind-blowing. We’re all having so much fun onstage that it can’t help but be infectious. You’re going to have so much fun in the audience with us!”Performance dates (at the AACI) are November 14, 19, 28 and December 5 at 8 p.m., November 16, 23, 30 and December 7 at 8:30 p.m., and November 21 and 27 at 6 p.m. NIS 85 (discount available for AACI members, students, soldiers and Bnei Sherut).For up-to-date information about English-language theater auditions and shows check out JETcommunity.org
