Set largely in the Christmas season, little gifts, little romances and big surprises abound in Arena Stage's musical play "She Loves Me," directed by Kyle Donnelly. The greatest treasure, however, is not the handsome old-world music box that Amalia Balash (Brynn O'Malley) proclaims to be "the voice of God," but the play itself.
With a strong score written by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnish, both of "Fiddler on the Roof" fame, the play skips and sings its way through the lives and romantic foibles of its seven main characters. It is a script that Donnelly in fact courted and ultimately fell "madly in love" with - a romance of her own.
Throughout the play, the characters constantly ask, "What is romance?" Is it the candlelight and small tables proffered by a snooty caf? headwaiter (J. Fred Shiffman), the thick book and blood red rose arranged by Balash, or the combination of rumba, Chinese food and a gypsy fortune teller proposed by Kodaly?
Weaving through the spoken and sung text, the charming fiddle music is a binding element whose presence does not altogether surprise when one considers the previous works of the writing team. Combining modern musical exuberance with Hungarian folk traditions, the folk pieces unify the wide range of songs and solos.
The seven main characters work in a 1930s Budapest perfumery owned by Mr. Maraczek (Hal Robinson), a sad older man whose wife has been caught cheating with one of his salespersons: the oily, smooth Steven Kodaly (Sebastion La Cause). Kodaly is every father's worst nightmare, an attractive womanizer who most closely resembles a yachting prep-school boy from Newport. By the second act, he is easily the most loathed character.
Dislike for him is outweighed by pity for and amusement over his romantically challenged coworker, Ilona Ritter (Nancy Lemenager), who Kodaly uses and then ditches, leaving her to rant, scream and happily take up with a steamy optometrist.
Clerks Amalia Balash and Georg Nowack (Kevin Kraft) hate one another. They battle constantly at work over sales, fight about work schedules and passionately contest job responsibilities. But in their personal lives they each write love letters to a "dear friend," never knowing that they are writing to one another. The second act letter-writer revelation contains the two strongest solos: "Ice Cream" sung by Balash and "She Loves Me" sung by Nowack.
In an especially perfect characterization, O'Malley's portrayal of Balash as a cross between a sweet Meg Ryan and feisty Eliza Doolittle gives her character vivacity, wit and an endearing likeability.
Comic relief comes from the antics of delivery boy-turned-salesman Arpad Laszlo (Clifton Guterman), whose exuberance and helpfulness compare to a well-trained service dog. No romantic dramas drive his character to dark recollections here; after all, his true love is a bicycle and there are no betrayals or broken dates involved in that relationship.
Though not winning points for originality, the plot follows in the treads of great romantic classics. "She Loves Me" is based on a play by Hungarian playwright Miklos Laszlo, whose plot has influenced big screen movies such as "The Shop Around a Corner" and "You've Got Mail."
Sweet enough to give cavities, "She Loves Me" is a nice diversion from the more traditional theatre opportunities in the District during this holiday season. And with $10 tickets available for those under the age of 25, there's no reason not to take that cute guy or girl from class before he or she goes home for break.
