She Loves Me

Synopsis

"Set in a 1930s European perfumery, we meet shop clerks, Amalia and Georg, who, more often than not, don't see eye to eye. After both respond to a "lonely hearts advertisement" in the newspaper, they now live for the love letters that they exchange, but the identity of their admirers remains unknown. Join Amalia and Georg to discover the identity of their true loves... and all the twists and turns along the way!"

Director's Note

Love begins when we allow ourselves to be seen.

Set in a charming parfumerie in 1930s Budapest, She Loves Me invites us into a world of beautiful surfaces—elegant storefronts, carefully wrapped packages, polished manners, and the selves we choose to present to the world. But beneath those carefully constructed appearances are ordinary people longing for something extraordinary: to be understood, to be valued, and, perhaps most importantly, to be loved. There is something wonderfully timeless about the possibility of love hiding in plain sight.

At the heart of our story are two people who believe they know exactly what they think of one another. Face to face, they are guarded, defensive, and quick to judge. Yet through the anonymity of their letters, they discover a tenderness and understanding that seem impossible in their everyday interactions. It is a delightful contradiction: sometimes we find the courage to reveal our truest selves only when we believe no one is really looking.

I find this idea particularly resonant today. We live in a world surrounded by carefully curated versions of ourselves, where appearances can be polished, opinions formed in an instant, and genuine connection surprisingly difficult to find. She Loves Me gently challenges us to consider whether real intimacy requires something far more courageous than presenting our best selves. Perhaps it requires allowing ourselves to be imperfect, vulnerable, and truly seen.

And what a joyful way to explore such a profoundly human idea! Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick's exquisite score and Joe Masteroff's witty book offer us a world filled with delightful misunderstandings, colorful personalities, and wonderfully theatrical circumstances. Yet beneath the comedy lies a remarkable tenderness. The humor comes from the distance between what these characters believe and what is actually true. The heart of the story emerges when they finally begin to listen.

There is also something deeply moving about placing this story in the Budapest of the 1930s, a world shaped by economic uncertainty, social expectations, and the desire for stability. Against that backdrop, our characters take extraordinary emotional risks. They hope, they stumble, they misjudge, they forgive, and they find the courage to begin again. Their circumstances may belong to another era, but their humanity feels entirely familiar.

Working with our wonderful student artists on this production has reminded me that the most compelling stories are not necessarily about extraordinary people doing extraordinary things. Sometimes they are about ordinary people finding the courage to open their hearts.

My hope is that as you spend an evening in Maraczek's parfumerie, you will laugh at the misunderstandings, recognize something of yourself in these characters, and perhaps leave with a renewed willingness to look beyond the surfaces of the people around you.

Because sometimes the greatest gift we can offer another person is the simple act of truly seeing them.

Vanessa Ballam - Director

Dramaturg Note

Beyond the Perfume Bottles

By: Kylee Hart, Dramaturg

In 1937, Hungarian playwright Miklós László’s play Parfumerie debuted, capturing a specific, fragile world balanced on the edge of uncertainty. Set against the backdrop of 1930s Budapest during the interwar period, the play—and later the musical She Loves Me—immerses us in a society grappling with the devastating effects of the Great Depression.  Worldwide bank failures and mass unemployment left millions desperate for stability, and Hungary’s economy lagged, severely reducing workers', farmers', and other workers' incomes. For the urban middle classes, the line between maintaining a dignified lifestyle and tumbling into poverty grew thin. People faced overcrowded housing, a lack of government aid, and the quiet anxiety of an economic crisis that threatened to strip away their livelihoods overnight. 

Yet when we step inside Maraczek’s Parfumerie, it offers an escape from that harsh external reality. By the early twentieth century, specialty perfume shops had evolved into refined, sensory retail spaces where luxury items like eau de toilette and fine fragrances became accessible daily commodities rather than distant luxuries. The shop functions as a brilliant juxtaposition: a warm, fragrant sanctuary devoted to beauty, romance, and personal elegance, existing right alongside a fractured, economically distressed world. Inside these walls, glass perfume bottles catch the light, delicate floral notes of rose and lavender linger, and employees spend hours weaving a close-knit, family kind of community.

The striking contrast between bitter financial chill outside and the warm, idealized pursuit of beauty and connection inside drives the heart of She Loves Me. The characters working behind the counter navigate the daily obstacles of keeping a business afloat while managing their own private heartbreaks, loneliness, and longings for a better life. They lean on a world of curated appearance, romantic letters, and excellent scents to mask or soothe the vulnerabilities of a complicated era. As you watch the story unfold, we invite you to reflect on how humanity persists through hardship. Even in times of economic distress, people have always found ways to seek out beauty, risk emotional vulnerability, and search for authentic connection. Maraczek’s Parfumerie reminds us that while the world outside may be unpredictable, the human desire to be truly known and loved remains constant.