(Dave Itzkoff’s article appeared in The New York Times, 3/2; via Pam Green.)
Over the years, audiences have found a tender affection — if not quite a burning infatuation — for “She Loves Me,” the musical that tells the story of two feuding perfume-shop employees, Georg and Amalia, who find epistolary romance as unknowing pen pals.
“She Loves Me,” with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, music by Jerry Bock and book by Joe Masteroff, was first presented on Broadway in 1963. That production, which starred Barbara Cook as Amalia, was a cult hit though not a commercial success. A 1993 revival, presented by Roundabout Theater Company and directed by Scott Ellis, has its admirers, too. But it is still overshadowed by the films “The Shop Around the Corner,” “In the Good Old Summertime” and “You’ve Got Mail,” which all come from the same source material, “Parfumerie,” by the Hungarian playwright Miklos Laszlo.
Roundabout is reviving “She Loves Me,” again directed by Mr. Ellis. Its starry cast features the Tony Award winners Laura Benanti (“Gypsy”) as Amalia and Jane Krakowski (“Nine” and TV’s “30 Rock”) as her amorous co-worker Ilona, as well as Zachary Levi (TV’s “Chuck” and Broadway’s “First Date”) as Georg and Gavin Creel (“Hair”) as the nefarious Kodaly.