She Loves Me

When mentioning to friends that I was going to see 'She Loves Me' at the Carriageworks, I was asked - 'Is it about the Beatles?' or 'Is it new?' - Well, it's neither of those suggestions! It is, in fact, a lovely, gentle musical comedy from the pens of Jerry Bock (music), Joe Masteroff (book) and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, based on a play by Miklos Laszlo. It was originally premiered on Broadway in 1963, subsequently produced in the West End with many revivals in between - and very soon, will be produced at the Menier Chocolate Factory Theatre in London for Christmas and NewYear season.

This show, set on 1930's Budapest, was an excellent choice for Leeds G&S's second show this year, this time in the intimate studio at the Carriageworks - eleven performers, all principal actors, presented a delightful offering of a plot, centred around perfumery shop employees Georg Nowack and Amalia Balash who despite being at odds with each other at work, are unaware that each is the other's pen pal met through a lonely-hearts advert. The studio was beautifully transformed with a clever Art Deco setting, with authentic props and even to the extent of a wonderful perfume pervading the space - how clever! The set and costumes were all in monochrome with the odd touch of red, making a very stylish presentation.

The Director, Sarah Case, moved her cast around the set with perfection - no feeling of being cramped here, with some very clever production 'business' - it is always daunting for actors to work so closely to the audience but the cast embraced this with panache. The Musical Director, Jonathan Drummond, who also accompanied on the piano, had guided his principals through some tricky musical numbers very well - I loved the 'Ice Cream' number, with its shades of Hungarian rhythms - in fact, I began to wonder how the title number would fit in - 'She Loves Me' is a well-known stand-alone song for many famous singers, but within the context of the show, fitted in perfectly.

Once again, this company have surpassed themselves with a truly winning show - it is so refreshing to see something different and I so admire any group these days who so beautifully promote the less well-known musicals - my congratulations to the entire company who gave us, the audience, an excellent evening's entertainment - and who left the theatre on a cloud of exquisite perfume!

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