"She Loves Me," now playing at GCP, reminds me a little bit of "The 
Fantasticks" that played there a couple seasons ago, which also was a 
top-notch production that didn't get the audience it deserved because 
it didn't have the name recognition.  There were some empty seats 
last night when SLM opened, which is a shame, because it really is a 
good show.

The musical is based on Miklos Laszlo's 1936 play "The Parfumerie", 
which was apparently written for the sole purpose of having other 
shows be based on it.  In addition to SLM, it was the basis for a 
myriad of movies with the exact same plot, including "In The Good 
Old Summertime," "The Shop Around The Corner," "Jaws, The Revenge," 
and of course the recent Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan classic "Joe vs. The 
Volcano" (or whatever).

If you've seen any of these movies, then you already know the basic 
plot of SLM:  Boy and girl write anonymous letters to each other; boy 
and girl meet in real life; boy and girl go on for about an hour 
hating/secretly liking each other, still not realizing they're pen 
pals; boy and girl finally figure things out; everyone else gets 
eaten by an absolutely enormous great white shark.  The End.

There's also some singing along the way, although most of the songs 
are rather forgettable.  In fact, ALL of the songs are rather 
forgettable, as evidenced by the fact that I saw the show less than 
12 hours ago and can't remember a single song from it.  (On the other 
hand, I can't remember when my mother's birthday is either.)  It's not 
that the songs are bad, just that there aren't any you've ever heard 
before.  And a lot of it is sung dialogue more than actual, 
full-fledged songs.

But the reason you need to go see this show is the wonderfully 
talented cast.  They have the 3 important attributes you look for in 
a cast: They're visually appealing, they're functional, and they 
smell nice.  (Credit Julie Sanchez's shampoo for that last one).
In particular.....

Karin Fielding as Amalia shows once again why she makes such a great 
leading lady.  There's nothing new I can say about Karin that I 
haven't already said except Boy, can she wear a bathrobe, or what???

Jay Liddell as Georg.  There are a few GCP newcomers in this show, 
and Jay is my favorite.  He fits the role of Georg like a glove (and 
not the OJ Simpson kind of glove either).  Very nice performance, and 
I look forward to seeing him in many more GCP shows.

Keri Anderson as Ilona.  Wow.  I don't know what else to say.  This 
girl is as amazingly good in SLM as she was in last year's Man of La 
Mancha.  The character she plays, Ilona, is essentially a ditzy 
blonde, but Keri gives her a sense of depth and feeling that makes 
you really care.  This girl is amazing.  The only reasons she doesn't 
steal the show are strong performances from the leads and the fact 
that she doesn't get a lot of stage time to herself.  Amazing.

Aaron Coe and Adam Braun as White Guy in Suit #'s 1 and 2:
Both of these guys were very good, although I did keep getting them 
confused.  I'm actually still a little fuzzy on the whole issue.  But they can 
both sing and act really well.

Nick Barnes as Arpad the L.L. Bean Catalog Model.  Nick is strikingly 
preppy in a Ralph Lauren sweater ($80), Guess? khakis ($45), and 
Calvin Klein socks ($12).  He can do that singing and acting stuff 
too, but you already knew that.

Julie Sanchez as Bob the Elderly Chinese Busboy Stereotype.  This 
defies words.  You just have to see it for yourself.


MISCELLANY

-The set--basically the interior of a perfume shop--was pretty good, 
but there were a couple things about it I didn't like.  First off, 
the ugly gray floor seriously needs to be painted.  It clashed 
painfully with the clean white of the rest of the shop.  Also, to 
stage left is some kind of translucent screen set into the wall that 
allows the audience to see the orchestra, especially when the house 
lights go down, which can get a little distracting.  If that screen 
serves some technical purpose, that's fine; but I couldn't figure out 
why it's there.

-According to my watch, a new record was set at the GCP last night.  A 
bicycle with no lock was left on stage unattended for almost 30 
minutes--in the city of Gainesville--and it WASN'T STOLEN.

-Has anybody else noticed that Bennigans doesn't seem to give you 
coasters for your drinks nearly as often as they used to?  What's up 
with that?


FINAL THOUGHTS

She Loves Me is what I would call a "generic" musial.  That is, 
you've got singing, dancing, and all, just without any songs you've 
ever heard before.  The book, music, and lyrics are okay, but nothing 
special.  But here's the thing:  Get a superlative cast, and you can 
turn an average show into something very good.  And that's what 
you've got here.

Go see this for the superb acting, especially Karin Fielding and Jay 
Liddell.  And most especially to catch a glimpse of the acting genius 
that is Keri Anderson.  You won't be disappointed.

-john