PlayMakers Repertory Company rings in the holiday season with “She Loves Me,” the 2016 Tony-award winning musical by Joe Masteroff, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. Due to high demand, the production, directed by Kirsten Sanderson, has just added an extension week, and will now run from November 14 to December 9.
Based on the same tale that inspired the Hollywood classic film, You’ve Got Mail, “She Loves Me” is set against the backdrop of pre-war Hungary, where we meet Amalia and Georg, two perfume shop clerks who don’t quite see eye to eye. After work hours, however, they’re each other’s amorous anonymous pen pals. When their true identities are revealed, will love blossom between these two lonely hearts?
“I am delighted to bring this uniquely perfect holiday musical to Chapel Hill, under the direction of the always inspired and inspiring Kirsten Sanderson,” said Vivienne Benesch, PlayMakers’ Producing Artistic Director. “‘She Loves Me’ is smart and witty, and has such tremendous heart. Its soaring score, especially sung by the magnificent voices of our Georg and Amalia, will delight the whole family. The costumes are a feast for the eyes, and in true PlayMakers fashion, we’re re-envisioning this Broadway classic to make its working-class hero and heroine real and relatable to us all. I believe that today, more than ever, audiences are craving stories that uplift and move us, and this show does just that.”
“Great American musicals fill such an important place in our cultural conscience, because they show us a world that, however flawed it might be, contains beauty and love, and an exuberance so great that it literally bursts out as song and melody,” said director Sanderson. “‘She Loves Me’ is an exquisite gem of a musical that is gloriously transcendent while at the same time grounded in the very real, not always glamorous, lives of its characters. Harold Prince, the director of the original Broadway production, was a mentor of mine. I learned from him the importance of celebrating the complexity of each character, which is all the more moving on the intimate PlayMakers stage, because audiences see a true three-dimensionality to their lives, and who they are.”
“She Loves Me” features Jenny Latimer as Amalia (“The Cake,” National tour of “Les Miserables”), Michael Maliakel as Georg Nowack (PlayMakers debut, “Anything Can Happen:The Songs of Maury Yeston” Triad Theatre NY), Ray Dooley as Maraczek (“Tartuffe,” “Leaving Eden”), Jeffrey Blair Cornell as Sipos (“Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood,” “My Fair Lady”), Janet Krupin as Ilona (PlayMakers debut, Broadway’s “Bring It On: The Musical” and “If/Then”) Connor Nielsen as Arpad (“Tartuffe”), Tristan Parks as Keller (“Leaving Eden,” “My Fair Lady”), and Adam Poole as Kodaly (“Tartuffe,” “Dot”). The ensemble features David Adamson, Emily Bosco, David Fine, Julia Gibson, Sarah Keyes, Alison Lawrence, Dan Mason, and Daniel Toot.
The Creative Team of “She Loves Me” includes: Kirsten Sanderson (Director), Mark Hartman (Music Director), Tracy Bersley (Choreographer), Daniel Zimmerman (Scenic Designer), Bobbi Owen (Costume Designer), Amith Chankdrashaker (Lighting Designer), Eric Alexander Collins (Sound Designer), Greg Kable, (Dramaturg), Tia James (Vocal Coach), and Charles K. Bayang (Stage Manager).
“She Loves Me” is recommended for ages 10 and up, and includes a scene that deals with sensitive themes. Please call 919-962.7529 for more information.
For information and to purchase tickets, call 919.962.7529 or visit www.playmakersrep.org. Individual ticket prices start at $15.
Performance and Special Event Schedule:
- October 29, 7:00 p.m. Durham County Public Library, Stanford L. Warren branch — “In the Wings,” a series of conversations in partnership with the Chapel Hill and Durham County Public Libraries. Free and open to the public.
- November 14-16, 7:30 p.m. — Preview performances
- November 15, 6:00 p.m. — “The Vision Series—Directors in Conversation,” a behind-the-scenes preview with members of the creative team before the evening’s performance, at the Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art. Free and open to the public.
- November 18, 7:30 p.m. — Opening Performance & Press Opening, with post-show Opening Night Celebration
- November 20, 7:30 p.m. — All-access performance for attendees with special needs, with sign language interpretation and audio description
- November 20 and December 4, 7:30 p.m. — Community Night. General admission seating, with all tickets $15
- November 21 and 25 – Free post-show discussions with members of the creative team, cast and community members
- December 2, 2:00 p.m. – Open captioned performance, with dialog, stage direction, and sound effects communicated on a “universal access” live caption unit.
