SHE LOVES ME, Hale Centre Theatre, 2801 S. Main, South Salt Lake; continues Mondays-Saturdays at 8 p.m. through March 31; Saturday matinees at 3:30 p.m. (plus noon on March 22 and 29 and one additional 5 p.m. performance on Feb. 14). Tickets, ranging from $8 to $13, are available at the box office or by calling 484-9257. Running time: 21/2 hours (one intermission).
Never underestimate the importance of a skillful, innovative director - especially one who has expertise as a choreographer as well.
"She Loves Me" is a case in point.
Marilyn May Montgomery knows how to make a musical move. I mean really move. Her choreography has saved many shows in the valley, and while "She Loves Me" is not what you would categorize as a "dancing" show (not like "42nd Street," for example), Montgomery keeps actors - and props - rolling, gliding, swirling and moving around the stage every minute.
Some numbers, such as "Sounds While Selling" and "Twelve Days to Christmas" - both of which sparkle with rapid-fire lyrics, turn the stage into a virtual whirlwind of music and comedy.
With a cast of only 13, the casual observer might see this as a simple little piece of tune-filled froth. In reality, it's one of the most complicated musicals HCT has ever mounted. There are nine scene changes, hundreds of props and authentic, period costuming. (One wise choice is that HCT abandoned the play's traditional Eastern European setting, placing Maraczek's Parfumerie in simply "a city." (Maybe all those Hungarian names come from an ethnic neighborhood somewhere in Wisconsin.)
The musical, based on two previous movies (one starring James Stewart and the other Judy Garland and Van Johnson), involves two perfume shop employees who can barely tolerate each other. Both are busy exchanging letters with romantic pen-pals and fantasizing about their unseen lovers - unaware that their "Dear Friend" correspondence is with each other.
Mark Knowles and Randi Harrington-Weeks are perfectly cast as the young couple, George and Amalia. When Mark belts out the title song in Act 2, it has a buoyant "Singing in the Rain" excitement - matched for sheer giddiness by Amalia's joy in the "Vanilla Ice Cream" song.
Others in the flawless cast (which plays Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) include Jeni Carver as luckless-in-love Ilona; Sanford K. Porter as the weaselly, womanizing Steven Kodaly; Curtis Ray Jensen (in both casts) delivering an exuberant performance as delivery boy Arpad; Fred Derbyshire as perfume merchant Mara-czek; David Stensrud as George's worry-wart colleague, Ladislov; and Kyle Johnson as the show-stopping Waiter, dashing about the Cafe Imperial (reminiscent of another dark, romantic, theatrical spot known as "Her-nan-do's Hideaway").
The behind-the-scenes work is first-rate, too, including Bryan P. Jacobs' scenery; Mearle Marsh's tape-recorded orchestrations; Heather Brooks' costuming (assisted by Deanne DeWitt and Tara DeGrey); Mike Williams' sound; and Dan Morgan's lighting.
The rolling props make for quick, smooth scene changes. I loved the potted ferns in the Cafe Imperial segment - just the right height for spying on illicit lovers and prospective blind dates.
The alternate cast includes such well-known local talent as Bruce Bredeson, Jennifer O'Haley, Sharon Lynn Kenison, Bryon Finch, Brent Whitlock and Ron Johnson.
- ROMANTIC MUSICALS must be on the top of the list for several couples' Valentine's Day celebrations. The regular 8 p.m. performance of "She Loves Me" is completely sold out on Feb. 14, so HCT is adding a second performance at 5 p.m. See the show first, then go out to dinner.
- Sensitivity rating: While one of the show's characters is a womanizing cad, his escapades are tastefully brushed over. There's nothing offensive.