She Loves Me at the Huntington Theater

I have long been of fan of She Loves Me, the lovely little jewel box of a show now playing at Boston's Huntington Theatre. It's a model of dramatic economy: Joe Masteroff's libretto spends just enough time with each character to make him or her believable and sympathetic. And the score by Jerry Bock (music) and Sheldon Harnick (lyrics) gives each character just the right number of songs, according to his or her importance to the narrative.

It's a shame that director Nicholas Martin's production doesn't afford the show the same admirable balance and restraint. Martin appears to have directed this show in absentia: everyone and everything on stage seems to have come from a different show. The cartoonish costumes are like something out of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Leading lady Kate  Baldwin plays Amalia more like Peggy Sawyer from 42nd Street. And Brooks Ashmanskas plays George like a combination of Pseudolus from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Albin from La Cage aux Folles.

Ashmanskas is unquestionably a gifted man, one whom I've admired in numerous recent productions, including the Huntington's own Present Laughter, as well as Broadway's The Ritz and Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me. But from the second he came on stage, I knew there was going to be trouble. Ashmanskas here is all mannerisms and exaggerated facial expressions. He seems to constantly be saying "insert laugh here" rather than trusting the material and giving an honest performance. And as for being a convincing leading man, well, let's just say that when he got to the lyric in the title number that goes "I love her, isn't that a wonder?" I turned to my friend Richard Carey and said "Um...yeah, it is."

The lovely and talented Kate Baldwin imbues Amalia with a spunk and a sprightliness that might have been appropriate for any other leading lady. There was very little vulnerability in her Amalia, which makes it hard to believe she's such a loser in love. And there's no spark between her and Ashmanskas, either during the fight scenes or the inevitable denouement, but this is not entirely the actors' fault. Baldwin is simply misdirected, Ashmanskas miscast.

But as Richard and I exited the theater, we marveled at how much we really enjoyed the show. Richard has directed She Loves Me twice before, and asserted that it really is a fool-proof recipe: all the ingredients are there, and practically anyone can make it work, unlike, say, Carousel, which requires a master chef. It's a testament to the perfection of She Loves Me that it somehow winds up working despite the misjudged casting and absent direction of the Huntington production.

Comments

[Esther]

Hey Chris,
I saw "She Loves Me" on Sunday afternoon, and I loved it!

I really loved Brooks Ashmanskas. I thought he was cute and cuddly and the expressions and mannerisms helped give his character some personality. I never thought they were over the top. I thought he was really sympathetic as this reserved man who's confident at work but insecure at love.

I realize that this is probably a more comic take on Georg than you normally see in the role, but it worked for me. I especially loved his singing and dancing across the stage in the title number.

(I saw that Boyd Gaines won a Tony for playing Georg in the revival, and from seeing him in Gypsy, I imagine his take was more serious.)

And Kate Baldwin, wow, what a beautiful voice. I think she did show some vulnerability, especially in the scene at the cafe, where she's waiting for her pen pal. I was really choked up at "Dear Friend." I thought her "Vanilla Ice Cream" was sweet and funny.

I also loved the frenzied activity in "Twelve Days to Christmas." And having the orchestra suspended above the stage gave the whole thing a dreamy, storybook quality.

As a Hairspray fan, it was a thrill to see Dick Latessa as the perfume shop owner. And I thought Jeremy Beck was really endearing as the delivery boy, and he was hilarious in "Try Me."

My only complaint is, there were a few periods where Georg and Amalia were offstage for extended periods, and I missed them. I wasn't as interested in the subplot about Steve Kodaly. While I thought the cafe scene with the snobby waiter and bumbling busboy was funny, the shtick went on a bit too long.

Still, this is such a sweet, enjoyable show. I was definitely smiling when I left the theatre!

[chris caggiano]

Thanks, Esther. It's always nice to get a different perspective. There's no question that She Loves Me is a lively show.

I think that because I'm so familiar with the show, I was focusing more on the particular production than the piece itself. And although I agree with you that Brooks Ashmanskas and Kate Baldwin are very talented performers, their performances here didn't work for me.

I appear to be in a minority, because the critical response to the show has been pretty positive. But I'm comfortable maintaining my stance that the show has been miscast and misdirected. And you should definitely feel free to stick to your guns in loving the show and the performances.