On a set resembling a picturesque Mediterranean town, two actors are rehearsing a pivotal scene. Dressed in a dapper suit, a young man waits just outside a small Perfumery shop. Completely oblivious to his presence, a young woman steps out of the shop, her arms laden with a lofty stack of gifts. Both actor and actress are attempting to secure the ideal element of surprise: with the director lending her expertise as to the most random placement of gifts, the dilemma at hand is how to best depict shock when running into each other accidentally. Behind the two, the Perfumery shop stands with multicolored glass bottles of every shape and size dotting the windows. On cobblestone streets, small houses and shops imitating the same quaint style align themselves, with greenery and bushes occasionally stopping the line. Towers, trellises, and battlements rise above it all; probably the home of royalty or the wealthiest family in this otherwise well-to-do town.
As I stood there admiring the intricacies thought up by the plays designers and the period costuming, I noticed various stagehands milling about the stage, dressed in black from head to toe and making continual last-minute adjustments. Soon after arriving, one of the stagehands offered to take me on a backstage tour. Stepping behind the scenery, I surveyed: couches, books, beds, coats, candles, tables draped with maroon satin, and bits of costumes could be found everywhere. A large wooden platform was attached to one of the pieces of scenery. The stagehand explained to me that this piece had to be moved out, and another equally large piece put in place, during many of the scene changes. Rapid costume changes had to be coordinated for each character, and their props put in place. Viewing the backstage, I was struck by the complexity of the logistics which take place behind the stage action. Those who never make an appearance have every bit as much of a part as the actors, actresses, and orchestra. More than anything, this performance was sure to stand testament to the fact that a musical is a conglomeration of all the arts: song, dance, theater, and costuming.
Dr. Kathleen Arecchi, director of the musical theater department’s performance of “She Loves Me,” names this April 10-14 show a sweet Valentine geared toward the family. “With the set depicting a fantasyland,” Arecchi explains, the relationships on stage must seem as real as possible, though the audience knows that they aren’t real. As a musical that requires a certain suspension of disbelief, “She Loves Me” also has a multitude of artistic influences, in Arecchi’s words, a play-plus. A live orchestra provides all the music, with each character bursting into song several times throughout the show, while several choreographed movements and dance numbers heighten the visual impact. Music, in fact, plays more than a large part in the success of the play. Music uses its power to heighten the emotional level. If the singers do it well, its believable and the audience can relate to it, explains the director. Much new talent is showcased in this week’s piece, with a good part of the cast being “younger.” The director’s notes mention a “changing of the guard” with the newer cast, 50% of which are participating in their first performance with “She Loves Me.”
The musical was chosen after Arecchi saw its revival in New York City in the early 90’s, and was drawn to the match it had with Plymouth’s theater department. “She Loves Me” is designed to showcase talented singers, and thats just what the performers have done with their rehearsal time, living up to the praise given by critics. Howard Taubman of The New York Times lauded the New York City show A bonbon of a musical, while John Chapman of The Daily News says, so charming, so deft, so light and so right that it makes all the other music-shows in the big Broadway shops look like clodhoppers. For many a viewer, the show is nothing short of delightful. Set in Budapest, Hungary during the 1930’s, it details a comical love story, which the Hollywood movie starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, You’ve Got Mail, was loosely based on. In a European perfumery, two feuding clerks, Mr.Nowack and Amalia, are exchanging anonymous love letters, unaware that each is the one that they so despise during the workday. The real entertainment begins when they agree to meet in person, and one discovers that the other is their coworker. Viewers will want to keep their eye out for the Café Imperiale scene, in which a lavishly decorated restaurant provides the backdrop for a slow escalation of sentiment and erotic emotion. The romantic atmosphere thrills and enchants; while George and Amalia do find love. Don’t miss out on the romance in “She Loves Me.”