PARFUMERIE by E.P. Dowdall at Kelsey Theatre at Mercer

“The MTM Players open the 2023 Kelsey Theatre holiday season with PARFUMERIE"

Celebrating its ninth year of theater and third at Kelsey Theatre, The MTM Players open the Kelsey Theatre holiday season with the translated play that inspired the movies “The Shop Around the Corner”, “In the Good Old Summertime”, and “You’ve Got Mail”, and the Broadway musical “She Loves Me”  adapted by E.P. Dowdall from his uncle Miklós László’s original Hungarian play Illatszertár – Parfumerie – for eight performances November 24th – December 3rd, 2023.

West Windsor, N.J. – This new adaptation of the play that inspired several movies is a warm, gentle comedy that follows the tangled tale in 1937 Budapest, Hungary of Parfumerie employee George Horvath. Just days before Christmas, George's boss fires him after mistakenly suspecting him to be the lover of his unfaithful wife. Meanwhile, George's own love life goes awry when he discovers that the stranger he has fallen in love with through a secret correspondence is none other than Amalia Balash, a co-worker with whom he constantly feuds. For the employees of the Parfumerie, only the truth can lead to a happy resolution in this old-fashioned, romantic Christmas tale when The MTM Players present “Parfumerie” at Mercer County Community College’s Kelsey Theatre.

Dates and show times for the eight live performances of “Parfumerie” are Fridays and Saturdays, November 24th, 25th, December 1st & 2nd, 2023 at 8:00 pm and Saturdays and Sundays, November 25th, 26th, December 2nd & 3rd, 2023 at 2:00 pm.

The cast features Lew Gantwerk of Princeton, NJ as Miklos Hammerschmitt, Paul Rahter of Haddon Twp., NJ as George Horvath, Angela Robb of Philadelphia, PA as Amalia Balash, Barry Leonard of Old Bridge, NJ as Mr. Sipos, Sean Robbins of Lawrenceville, NJ as Arpad Novak, Mark Violi of Hamilton, NJ as Steven Kadar, Jenna Moschella of Hamilton, NJ as Ilona Ritter, Laura Dalston of East Brunswick, NJ as Elizabeth Molnar, Joey Violi of Hamilton, NJ as Fritz, and Jim Gardner of Titusville, NJ as the Detective.  The ensemble cast rounds off with Karen Bowden of Lakewood, NJ, Brian Wurtz of Levittown, PA, and Katherine Rodriguez of Hamilton, NJ as shop customers.  Additionally, the cast includes some special guests: Director Rob Michael Lasky of New Egypt, NJ as the Policeman, Stage Manager Rachel Jenkins of Ewing, NJ as the Young Girl, and in a very special appearance, the current President of Mercer County Community College, Deborah Preston of Lawrenceville, NJ as a customer.

The show was adapted by E.P. Dowdall – the nephew of the original playwright – from the original Hungarian play “Illatszertár” penned by Miklós László and translated into English by his aunt Florence László. The story may seem familiar as the original work was the source material for three movies and a hit Broadway musical – The Shop Around the Corner (1940) starring Jimmy Steward, Margaret Sullavan and Frank Morgan, In the Good Old Summertime (1949) starring Judy Garland and Van Johnson, and You’ve Got Mail (1998) starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, and the Bock and Harnick (of Fiddler on the Roof fame) Broadway musucal She Loves Me (1962/2016 revival). Mr. Dowdall intends to attend opening night and will be available to chat with audience members during the Kelsey Theatre’s Opening Night Gala in the lobby following the performance on Oct. 24th, 2023. The MTM Players producer Rob Michael Lasky recently conducted an interview with Mr. Dowdall which is available for viewing at their website: http://www.mtmplayers.org. Mr. Dowdall shares stories of his uncle, how the story was translated, and other interesting tidbits on the making and transformation of this iconic holiday tale!

The show is directed by Rob Michael Lasky and produced by Rob Michael Lasky and Deb Lasky. Other members of the production team are Stage Manager Rachel Jenkins, Set Designer Shawn Simmons, Lighting Designer Kitty Getlik, Sound Engineer Jadyn Toleno, Costume Designer Anthony Remer, Prop Mistress Deb Lasky, and Assistant Stage Managers Nathalie Wijaya and Katherine Rodriguez.

Tickets are $22 for adults, $20 for seniors & students and may be purchased online or by calling the Kelsey Box Office at 609-570-3333. Kelsey Theatre is wheelchair accessible, with free parking next to the theater. For a complete listing of adult and children's events, visit the Kelsey website http://www.kelseytheatre.org or call the box office for a brochure.