A TRIFLE TO SAVOR.Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic OVERSEAS Wednesday night, the real world was fast going topsy-turvy. Inside the Freud Playhouse, within the candy-pink confines of Maraczek's Parfumerie, circa 1930s, fictional characters This is a list of fictional characters. It has been expanded into the following lists:
For the next 2 1/2 hours, the ``She Loves Me'' company had a roomful of theater patrons enchanted en·chant tr.v. en·chant·ed, en·chant·ing, en·chants 1. To cast a spell over; bewitch. 2. To attract and delight; entrance. See Synonyms at charm. and, at least in my corner, utterly diverted. Quality entertainment can accomplish that. ``She Loves Me'' - for all its fluff and inevitability - isn't just quality; it's delightful. Expertly cast and directed with equal parts tenderness and sunshine by Gordon Hunt This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. , the Reprise re·prise n. 1. Music a. A repetition of a phrase or verse. b. A return to an original theme. 2. A recurrence or resumption of an action. tr.v. ! production is every bit a theatrical pick-me-up. Even if you've never seen the musical, you probably know the story. A pair of perfume boutique co-workers who bicker bick·er intr.v. bick·ered, bick·er·ing, bick·ers 1. To engage in a petty, bad-tempered quarrel; squabble. See Synonyms at argue. 2. endlessly while on the job unknowingly write each other anonymous love letters by night. The jig will be up as soon as they agree to meet in person, but book author Joe Masteroff Joe Masteroff (born December 11 1919) is a Tony Award-winning American playwright. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Masteroff graduated from Temple University and served with the United States Air Force during World War II. manages to spin out the ruse long enough to fill out a second act. Movie buffs will recognize this as roughly the same scenario of Ernst Lubitsch's ``The Shop Around the Corner,'' as well as ``In the Good Old Summertime'' and ``You've Got Mail The audio announcement heard millions of times per day by AOL users. The voice was recorded by Elwood "El" Edwards in 1989 at the suggestion of his wife Karen, who worked in customer service for Quantum Computer Services (before Quantum became AOL). .'' In ``She Loves Me,'' the lovers in question really have no lives outside their work environment and their tender correspondence. There's no reason to believe they're in any way right for each other beyond the fact that both are lonely and available. They meet un-cute when she maneuvers her way into a job, causing him to lose a bet. They proceed to go at each other often and consistently until the script requires them to wise up. Characters who are written solely for the purpose of being in love with each other need not necessarily be very interesting; this pair is, largely because they're well-acted. Scott Waara as Georg Nowack, the perfume store's put-upon second-in-command, has enough of the regular-guy air about him to make us believe he'd still be single. And although Rebecca Luker simply doesn't possess the vocal talents for sweet-singing Amalia Balash, she infuses this solitary belle with wit, verve and charisma. Maraczek's is a world where customers are properly fawned over and, upon their departure, serenaded with ``goodbye, madam, please come again, madam. Do come again.'' The staff includes slithery slith·er v. slith·ered, slith·er·ing, slith·ers v.intr. 1. To glide or slide like a reptile. See Synonyms at slide. 2. To walk with a sliding or shuffling gait. 3. hunk Kodaly (Damon Kirsche) who is doing romantic injustice to fellow clerk Ilona (Kaitlin Hopkins) and also, we learn, cuckolding his boss (Lenny Wolpe). Comic relief Sipos (Larry Cedar) knows not to make waves. The supporting roles are no more fleshed out than Georg and Amalia, but they each get to display choice samples of Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick's score. Here again, director Hunt is blessed with cast members who know how to make flambe flam·bé tr.v. flam·béed, flam·bé·ing, flam·bés To drench with a liquor, such as brandy, and ignite: flambéed the steak at the table. adj. out of second-banana roles. Hopkins, in full girl-Friday mode, would be the leading lady in any other production. Here she winningly backs up Luker, harmonizing in ``I Don't Know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. His Name,'' giving off steam in the jilted-anthem solo ``I Resolve'' and becoming lovestruck again in ``A Trip to the Library.'' Kirsche, a late replacement for Patrick Cassidy, is also musical theater star material. He makes Kodaly a cad, certainly, but a seductive cad who has a song in his heart. His exit anthem, ``Grand Knowing You,'' is a winner. SHE LOVES ME - Three and one half stars Where: Reprise! at the Freud Playhouse, UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX . When: 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday; through March 30. Tickets: $50 to $60. Call (310) 825-2101. In a nutshell: They love each other, but they just don't know it yet! A familiar tale, performed with across-the-board expertise. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Scott Waara and Rebecca Luker star in ``She Loves Me,'' produced by Reprise! and playing at UCLA. |
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