“You’ve got mail” has become such a ubiquitous phrase that it was used as the title of a popular 1998 Tom Hanks / Meg Ryan movie. But the story of two people…seemingly appalled by each other yet falling in love as pen pals…has been around a very long time; 1937 to be exact.
She Loves Me is the Tony Award winning telling of this same story and begins its Stamford premiere at Curtain Call, November 18. Written by Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, (who gave us Fiddler on the Roof and more) and Joe Masteroff, (Cabaret) this romantic musical comedy will play in The Kweskin Theatre through December 17.
“She Loves Me has long been a favorite of mine,” said Lou Ursone, Curtain Call’s executive director and producer, “and I’m thrilled to be presenting it here for the first time.” “The score is absolutely incredible (it was a two-album set when it premiered) and the characters are so wonderful that our actors are loving every moment,” he added. The show is also extra special to Ursone whose first professional acting contract (1981) was for She Loves Me. “It’s pretty amazing to revisit the show after 40+ years,” Ursone said.
She Loves Me is based on the 1937 play, Parfumerie written by Miklos Laszlo. It was later adapted into two other movies: in 1940 as “The Shop Around the Corner” and in 1949 as “In the Good Old Summertime.”
The musical is set in a 1930s European perfumery, where two salesclerks spar endlessly, saving their sweetest words for an anonymous pen pal. Unbeknownst to them, however, their “dear friend” happens to be each other in a joyful, transcendent, and perfectly crafted escapade featuring the treasured songs “Vanilla Ice Cream,” “A Trip to the Library” and the irrepressible title song.
“A lingering and deeply satisfying sweetness… for those moments when you sense a song in your heart.” – THE NEW YORK TIMES
Due to continued Covid concerns, this production is double-cast with two teams of actors that share the roles over the run of the show. (See website for cast performance schedule.) “Rehearsing two cast at the same time brings many challenges, but it’s also very exciting to see how each team of actors develops their characters,” said director Gordon Casagrande. “They’re all fabulous,” he added, “and many of them are brand new to Curtain Call.”
In addition to Casagrande, the production team for She Loves Me also includes Peter Randazzo as music director, Karen Casagrande as choreographer with set design by Martin Scott Marchitto, lighting design by Peter Petrino and costumes design by Merial Cornell, Jeannette Davidson and Mary Joan Wright. Stage management is by Jan Ursone with Seth Barkan and Rob Nichols. The cast of 23 includes Robert Agis, Kelley Alejos, Rebecca Borowik, Anne Cavaliere, Clint Clifford, Bruce Crilly, Sabatino Cruz, Meaghan Elliot, Scott Ferrara, Rick Harrington, Cara Kramer, Rachel Lese, Laura LoBello, Chris Nardi, Carlos Perez, Sean Pultz, Claudia Rachelle, Kyle Runestad, William Squier, Ursone, Jeffrey Wright, III, Aaron Young and Rachel Zenhausern.
Performances will be held Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00PM and Sunday afternoons at 2:00PM, beginning November 18. There are two Thursday evening performances December 8 and 15 at 8:00pm. The Kweskin Theatre is located at The Sterling Farms Theatre Complex, 1349 Newfield Avenue, Stamford, CT. Doors open one half hour before show time. Tickets are $38 for adults, $28 for senior citizens and $20 for children under 21. Discounted Flex Passes offer reductions of about 25%. Thrifty Thursday discounts are also available. Box Office: 203-461-6358 or on the web at www.curtaincallinc.com.
Following She Loves Me in Curtain Call’s 32nd season will be: Assassins, The Wizard of Oz and Agatha Christie’s A Murder is Announced as well as the Fairfield County premieres of Groundhog Day the Musical, The Wisdom of Eve and more. Comedy nights, concerts and interactive murder mystery events are also on the schedule.
Curtain Call is the non-profit community-based theatre company that has been in residence at The Sterling Farms Theatre Complex for 30 years. Year-round productions and educational workshops for all ages are presented by and for area residents in The Kweskin Theatre and The Dressing Room Theatre.
Curtain Call was voted Fairfield County’s BEST LOCAL THEATRE GROUP ten years running in the Annual Readers’ Poll of the Fairfield County Weekly and has received similar BEST OF awards from Stamford Magazine and Stamford Plus magazine for 2008 through 2022. Curtain Call received The Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2011 and the ACE Award for Excellence in Arts & Culture from the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County in 2016.
