"She Loves Me," Lights Up Westport Stage

Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick's 1963 musical "She Loves Me" at the Westport Playhouse through May 15, has had many lives. The 1940 film "The Shop Around the Corner," was based on the same Hungarian story and directed by Ernst Lubitsch. It starred Margaret Sullavan and Jimmy Stewart In 1949, the story was retooled for a Judy Garland film called "In the Good Old Summertime." In 1963, the Broadway musical, "She Loves Me," starring Barbara Cook, opened. Another film, "You've Got Mail" with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan was a hit in 1998. These versions revamped the details but kept the same basic story: romantic leads meet and come to hate each other but don't realize they're anonymous romantic pen pals. Of course, they end up falling in love. A grreat story but only "She Loves Me" has Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick's lilting music to bring it to life.

Westport Playhouse's staging of  "She Loves Me" is directed by Mark Lamos and features Jeremy Peter Johnson as Georg (Off-Broadway’s “Before the Dawn” and “Shakespeare's R&J”) and Jessica Grové as Amalia (Broadway’s “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” “Les Misérables“ and “The Wizard of Oz.”) For information visit The Westport Playhouse website. Tickets are $35 to $55. Performance times vary.

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