'It's a Romantic Atmosphere” at The Village Players of Birmingham with SHE LOVES ME

The Village Players closes its 95th season with the romantic musical comedy She Loves Me book by Joe Masteroff, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and music by Jerry Bock.

The production runs weekends May 4th through the 20th at the Village Players of Birmingham.

This Tony award-winning show has been called "the most charming musical of all time!" because of its delightful score and romantic themes. She Loves Me premiered on Broadway in 1963, with award-winning revivals in 1993, 2000 and 2016.

In 1934 Budapest, coworkers Georg and Amalia seemingly despise one another at Maraczek's Parfumerie. After both respond to a "lonely hearts ad" in the newspaper, they now live for their letters that they exchange, not knowing that the stranger they're falling in love with is their worst enemy.

She Loves Me is a charming jewel-box of a musical, with music by the same partners that created Fiddler on the Roof. This delightfully scented case of mistaken identity and letter writing transports the audience to Budapest, Hungary in the 1930's. The "Golden Age of Budapest" is a time of Lonely Hearts Clubs, correspondence, stomach pills, picnics, perfume and hats.

The musical is the third adaptation of the play Parfumerie by Hungarian playwright Miklos Laszlo, following the 1940 James Stewart-Margaret Sullavan film The Shop Around the Corner and the 1946 Judy Garland-Van Johnson musical version In the Good Old Summertime. It would surface yet again in 1998 as the Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan feature You've Got Mail.

She Loves Me is directed by veteran Village Players member Kevin Lee Branshaw. When asked why he wanted to direct this musical comedy he stated; "She Loves Me is an old style Romantic Comedy that few have seen, but many are familiar with. It's sweet and charming from beginning to end."

The two act musical runs approximately 2 ½ hours with one 15 minute intermission. Show dates and times are May 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19 at 8:00 p.m. and May 6, 13 and 20 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $21.00 and are available online at www.birminghamvillageplayers.com or by calling the theater box office at 248-644-2075. The playhouse of the Village Players is located at 34660 Woodward Avenue in Birmingham.

The Cast of She Loves Me:

Georg - Joshua Whitson (Madison Heights)

Amalia - Kathleen Duffy (Royal Oak)

Ilona - Andrea Kane (Bloomfield Hills)

Kodaly - Mitchell Bradley (Birmingham)

Mr. Maraczek - Ron Otulakowski (Eastpointe)

Sipos -Hoggie Amare (Troy)

Arpad - Christiaan Lafata (Royal Oak)

Waiter -David Baumann (Royal Oak)

Ensemble-

Audrey Brown (Washington)

Bryan Conroy (Royal Oak)

Katie Crombe (Clawson)

Carl Jones (Rochester Hills)

Jennifer Jones (Rochester Hills)

Audrey Sharp (Shelby Township)

Brenden Sharp (Shelby Township)

Megan Welnec (Rochester Hills)

About The Village Players:

The Village Players of Birmingham, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit community theater celebrating its 93rd season, presents high quality dramatic, comedic, and musical productions. All community members are invited to participate on stage, backstage or as an audience member in the theater's main stage, youth theater, and Playwrights at Work productions and programs. The Village Players has been entertaining the community from its location at 34660 Woodward Avenue in Birmingham since 1926.

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