Director-choreographer Cate Caplin and a pitch-perfect cast do everything right in Actors Co-op’s intimate revival of the 1963 Broadway charmer She Loves Me, perhaps better known today as the pre-Internet You’ve Got Mail.

 Joe Masteroff’s Tony-nominated book introduces audiences to Georg Novak (Kevin Shewey), longtime Budapest parfumerie employee circa 1934, and his newly hired shopmate Amalia Balash (Claire Adams), whose instant dislike for each other is the first clue that romantic sparks will eventually flare.

Georg and Amalia have, it turns out, been corresponding anonymously with each other thanks to the 1930s equivalent of match.com and falling more and more infatuated as each new “Dear Friend” letter arrives. (James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan did the same in 1940’s The Shop Around The Corner, based on Miklós László’s 1937 play Parfumerie, and so did Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in 1998.)

Adding to the She Loves Me magic are shop owner Mr. Maraczek (Greg Martin), convinced that Georg is carrying on a secret affair with Mrs. Marackez; lothario Steven Kodaly (Darren Bluestone), who’s been canoodling with his ditzy blonde co-worker Ilona Ritter (Avrielle Corti); Ladislav Sipos (Tim Hodgin), who’s discovered that the best way to keep his job year after year is to never make waves; and Arpad Laszlo (understudy Tyler Joseph Ellis), the shop’s teenage delivery boy with dreams of someday joining Georg and Amalia on the sales floor.

 Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick gems include “Good Morning, Good Day,” which introduces the audience to the aforementioned cast of characters; “No More Candy,” out of work salesgirl Amalia’s attempt to snag a job at Maraczek’s by persuading customers that a musical cigarette box is in actuality a musical candy box which will help them keep the pounds off; “Tonight At Eight” and “Will He Like Me” which Georg and Amalia (respectively) sing in anticipation of their first face-to-face date with their “Dear Friend,” “A Romantic Atmosphere,” warbled by the harried head waiter of the intimate restaurant where Georg and Amalia plan to meet, “Dear Friend,” sung by Amalia when no happy ending seems in sight, and of course the title song (a ’60s hit for Jack Jones, Vic Damone, and more).

 Southland treasure Caplin, who directed and choreographed Little Shop Of Horrors for the Co-op back in 2001, adds her own distinctive fresh touches to She Loves Me (and a tango or waltz or two along the way) as a cast of Actors Co-op members and guest artists give all-around memorable, often revelatory performances.

 Leading lady Adams has played quirky in Hairspray, girl-next-door adorable in Mutt House, murderous in Assassins, and downright devastating in Violet, but never before has a role allowed her to show off her luscious legit vocal register in addition to the gifts of a skilled comedienne with dramatic talent to match.

 Shewey’s charismatic Henry VIII in A Man For All Seasons had this reviewer thanking his lucky stars he got to see the understudy, and his preacher in Violet revealed some powerful pipes. Now, Shewey’s Georg adds romantic leading man charm to the already potent mix.

 Bluestone’s velvet-voiced, deliciously preening lothario and Korti’s smart cookie of a dumb blonde with a great big Broadway belt make for a pair of perfectly matched B-story lovers, and Caplin gives them a tango that makes “Ilona” an uproarious show-stopper like never before.

Martin’s Mr. Maraczek may not be quite as irascible as his Man Who Came To Dinner (thank goodness) but he gives Shewey a terrific antagonist to play off of, and Hodgins’ delightful Sipos could instruct any parfumerie sycophant in how not to make waves at work.

 As for Ellis, not only does the rising USC star make for an absolutely irresistible Arpad, doubling in his usual role as Busboy shows off Ellis’s slapstick chops opposite Phil Crowley’s hilariously harried head waiter.

Ensemble members Carolyn Carothers, Rachel Geis, and Carly Lopez contribute delightful bits throughout as parfumerie customers before joining understudy Michael Marchak (an appropriately business-like Keller) and a gender-bending Corti as restaurant-goers seeking but not necessarily finding “A Romantic Atmosphere.”

Scenic designer Stephen Gifford, lighting designer Luke Moyer, properties designer Lori Berg, costume designer Michael Mullen, and hair, wig, and makeup designer Klint Flowers join creative forces to give She Loves Me an absolutely gorgeous look, with sound designer Adam R. Macias adding convincing effects while ensuring a rich sound from ace musical director Anthony Lucca’s live five-piece orchestra.*

She Loves Me is produced by Crystal Jackson. Derek R. Copenhaver is stage manager and James Ledesma is assistant stage manager.

 I ended my review of this past spring’s Violet with the words, “For three decades now, Actors Co-op has proved itself unequaled among L.A. theaters in downsizing Broadway musicals to 99-seat dimensions.” Since She Loves Me proves these words as true as ever, they bear repeating. Expect to find yourself under the spell of this exquisite gem of a musical, a couldn’t-be-better holiday treat.

*Austin Chanu, Cyrus Elia, Ian Hubbell, Lucca, Miyuki Miyage, Nathan Serot

Actors Co-op, 1760 N. Gower St., Hollywood.
www.actorsco-op.org

–Steven Stanley
November 18, 2018
Photos: John Dlugolecki

Tags: Actors Co-op, Jerry Bock, Joe Masteroff, Los Angeles Theater Review, Sheldon Harnick