Will you like the show you see? Will you know that there’s a world of love, uplifted spirits, and joyous frivolity— waiting just inside those painted walls, waiting for everyone to see? You’ll know— if the show— you’re seeing is— She Loves Me. Signature Theatre, in its most extensive and momentous live-staged undertaking (after 600 days of being dark) is bringing a heartwarming musical classic to its Max Theatre stage and it just the dose of giddy and glee that the world needs right now. Directed by Matthew Gardiner with Musical Direction by Jon Kalbfleisch, and Choreography by Kelly Crandall D’Amboise, this happy-go-lucky, feel-good feature is spreading the love all around in the most endearing and positive way possible.

When the audience trickles into the house, they are greeted with a sight— the simple signs of spring on the decadent and deceptively simplistic looking set, fabricated into glorious reality by Scenic Designer Lee Savage. The front façade of Maraczek’s perfumery is covered in flowers and faerie lights but the brilliance and breath-taking beauty of Savage’s set isn’t revealed until, like a living dollhouse, the shop is peeled open to reveal a stunning interior. High class sophistication radiates in waves of mint and seafoam green from this decadent set interior; the back wall is dotted with ornamental glass perfume bottles and backlit with color changing lights. What’s more is the panels flip and cabinets slide for smooth scene changes— there’s a hospital scene and home bedroom scene and when the beds come spilling out from beneath the counters it’s sheer Broadway-caliber magic. Savage completes the scenic splendor with a turn-table that feeds through the two interior shop doors, transforming the front of the shop to the back and the entirety of the establishment into a decadent café with ease. There’s an ironic nod to Savage’s brilliance come the curtain call as the performers take their hands backward (to the hidden live orchestra) but it appears as if they’re signaling applause for this elegant and marvelous set piece.

Lighting Designer Adam Honoré splashes the set most effectively with subtle— and not-so-subtle— mood lighting, which perfectly underscores a great number of the musical moments in the production. There are a great many subdued blue washes, echoing strains of melancholy and uncertainty, particularly when the Amalia Balash character has tender solo moments in song. Honoré flushes the set with fiery pink and orange lights of confusing passion during “Ilona”, the number that the Kodaly character spends splashing his insincere affections all throughout. There’s vibrant fuchsia and magenta featured during “A Romantic Atmosphere” and other full-stage washes in matching emotional color palettes as the show progresses. But all the little lighting nuances, like the shop lights, the window lights, the backlighting of the perfume display case, are the unsung majestic illuminating heroes of Honoré’s design work.

There’s a subtle differentiating beauty in the sartorial selection that Costume Designer Alejo Vietti sets forth for the customers verses the shop girls. While the customers arrive in muted florals and mild pastels, decked to the nines with hats, furs, and jewelry, the shop girls have more vibrant dresses, each fitting their character’s personality beautifully. The cornflower arrival dress for Amalia Balash is the perfect splash of ‘notice-me’ and contrasts vibrantly to the crushed velvet burgundy affair she wears when she’s heading out to finally meet ‘Dear Friend.’ The ocean-turquoise dress seen on Ilona is as vibrant and vivacious as her personality and well-suited for the sassy, snappy character enveloped therein. Vietti puts the men in dapper suits, and ensures that whilst Arpad is a delivery boy he’s trussed up in knickerbocker short pants and the most appropriate little cap.

While She Loves Me is not a particularly ‘dance-engaged’ show, Choreographer Kelly Crandall D’Amboise doesn’t miss a chance to include some truly entertaining ‘chaotic dance scenes.’ During “A Romantic Atmosphere” the carefully choreographed stage chaos of dancing, twirling, leaping, and flailing about is reminiscent of the ‘dance break’ in “La Cage Aux Folles” title number. And the frenetic insanity that ensues during “Twelve Days To Christmas” may look like an implosion of people and props but D’Amboise’s work is clearly evident in making that messy masterpiece sparkly with comic glee. Little spins and twirls with other characters in twos and so-on are featured throughout the musical, but D’Amboise really has some fun setting all of the wild and zany moves that the Ilona and Kodaly character get to execute during “Ilona.” Striking the perfect balance between sensually seductive and spicy with a dramatic flair, D’Amboise makes this one of the most entertaining dance routines in the production.

Musically the show is flawless. Musical Director Jon Kalbfleisch brings a talented group of performers together to deliver the highest tier of quality classical musical performance, particularly when it comes to the chaotic rhythms and harmonic blends featured during numbers like “Sounds While Selling” and “Twelve Days to Christmas.” Even when there are only a handful of salesclerks singing the uncredited “Thank You, Do Come Again” (which happens every time a customer exits the shop) the robust sounds pouring out of these people fill the space gleefully. And the astonishing sound that Kalbfleisch manages to coax out of the Amalia Balash character at the end of “Vanilla Ice Cream” is so operatic and filling it’s hard to believe that it’s not piped in.

Director Matthew Gardiner delivers a spellbinding show with true happiness and giddiness and glee all throughout. If there’s one complaint to be had about his direction, it’s the overreaching comic push that he’s foisted upon the Ilona character. With the bold personality of Maria Rizzo wearing that character like a second skin, there’s no reason to force extra comedy into Ilona. This happens in moments of the character’s over-excitement, resulting in physical and facial expressions that feel intentionally over-the-top and read as ‘desperate to make the audience laugh.’ There’s a lot of hyper-panting and over exaggerated enthusiasm that could be reeled in from a directorial perspective to make the character feel more authentic and less like a grossly overdeveloped caricature. When the rest of the She Loves Me universe has these realistic characters who only have tiny hints of caricature in their character makeup, it seems out of sorts to lay these dramatically hammy tactics onto the Ilona character. That complaint notwithstanding, Gardiner does an exceptional job of building little moments of chemistry between the other characters, has a natural knack for the swift and efficient pacing of the overall production, and brings a stellar cast together to truly spread the love and joy from stage to audience and beyond.

The ensemble (André Hinds, Drake Leach, Christopher Mueller, Daniel Powers, Olivia Ashley Reed, Katherine Riddle, David Schlumpf, Jillian Wessel) are quite the accessory to this decadent production. Posing as customers, particularly when they are frantic and manic during “Twelve Days To Christmas”, and adding bubbling warmth to full-cast numbers, they are the perfect fit for this performance. Daniel Powers doubles up as the bumbling, clumsy busboy, whose stumble-footed antics during “A Romantic Atmosphere” add just the right dose of comedy to the number. This song is championed by the saucy, haughty, and ever so slightly melodramatic Head Waiter (David Schlumpf.) With just the right level of impatience and exacerbated facial expressions, Schlumpf mines the comedy from this naturally humorous number, giving the audience a good deal of uplifting laughter as the first act comes to a close.

The effervescent and sprightly young Arpad (Emmanuel Elliot Key) is as springy as his character’s youthful exuberant nature would imply. With a bubbly voice that just erupts little fountains of glee, it’s easy to enjoy Key’s performance in this role. “Try Me” becomes a delightful number that has Key showcasing not only his vocal versatility but his physical agility as he’s leaping all over the stage— including over Maraczek’s hospital bed— energetically expounding upon his point. Playing the sagely, albeit easily mislead Mr. Maraczek, Lawrence Redmond is exactly what you’d expect from the perfume shop owner. With his well-seasoned voice, there is a warm and fond nostalgia that wafts delicately through “Days Gone By” and the sweet-natured kindly sage turned bitter, biting and brutal boss happens in the blink of an eye you almost wonder that you’re seeing the same person. Redmond is rather astonishing in that way, creating such a sharp juxtaposition between his character’s two natures.

Sleazy, smarmy, charming, debonair and all the things you love to hate in a sneaky little rat, Jake Lowenthal fills out the rather slippery shoes of the Steven Kodaly character quite soundly. There is a vocal tenacity that Loewenthal brings to the songs that Kodaly sings which are in violent contrast to the character’s rather underhanded nature. Lowenthal gives all the charisma when attempting to hypnotize Ilona Ritter (Maria Rizzo) during “Ilona” and there is a wild and unexpected showcase of his true vocal capabilities during “Grand Knowing You”, his send-off number which features grade-A tenor top belts, fabulous falsetto riff-options and a few other vocal acrobatics that leaves the audiences in stitches. Rizzo as the sassy, brassy Ilona vocally holds her own during “I Resolve”, her character’s ‘new-leaf’ number, and again during “A Trip to the Library” where she puts all sorts of pluck and panache into this song. One of the most impressive things about Rizzo’s portrayal of Ilona is her more subtle but very poignant facial expressions, particularly in the opening scene and number when she dagger-stares at the Arpad character, showing how a lady of the time would convey exactly what’s on her mind without ever needing to say it.

Meek, haphazard and adorably bumbling, the Ladislav Sipos character is right at home in the capable hands of Bobby Smith. There isn’t so much an accent as a slight vocal affectation that Smith brings to the character, really focusing on his ‘non-existent’ existence within the shop. Smith does a fine job of adding humor to his scenes, particularly with his animated facial expressions and physical gestures. When assisting Georg with his dilemma at the café, there’s all sorts of hilarity to be had simply by watching Smith creep around the stage. And when he sings his solo feature, “Perspective”, there’s a lot to be said for his articulate patter, deliberate cadence, and overall mellifluous sound.

Amalia Balash (Ali Ewoldt) and Georg Nowack (Deven Kolluri) are a perfect pairing of oil and water, (or Kathleen and Joe for you 90’s rom-com fans) and when they bristle, they spark a conflagration that’s cause for alarm, which naturally serves to stoke the fires of true chemistry between them, they just don’t know it yet. Deven Kolluri is vocally superb, delivering this overly warmed, honeyed vocals that just slip soothingly through each number, at least all the warm and gooey numbers that don’t feature his character being a jittery, nervous wreck. Kolluri all but passes out from nerves, vibrating his way electrically through “Tonight at Eight”, making a relatable display of how people feel when it comes to preparing for a date (blind or otherwise.) He’s got just enough of an edge when it comes to cutting down Amalia Balash at work and just enough of a soft spot blended all together in this character to really make him a loveable protagonist, so much so that when he vocally soars his way through the title number, the audience is cheering and hoping for his ‘happily ever after.’

For as delightful and hopeful and wonderful as Deven Kolluri is in the role of Georg Nowack, Ali Ewoldt is equal parts perfect in the role of Amalia Balash. With the sweet, syrupy soprano sound that fits the time of the show’s music sublimely, there is more than just a hapless ingenue to Ewoldt’s Amalia Balash. There’s vim and vigor, albeit in microscopic doses and often poised to pop off at Georg Nowack, and there’s deep self-doubt, moments truly fraught with uncertainty and a whole world of emotions bubbling just under the saccharine surface of the character that Ewoldt brings to life every moment that she’s on stage. On the few occasions that Ewoldt is featured in a duet with Kolluri, their voices blend like romantic magic, alighting in the sky like rainbows and shooting stars and fireworks all at once. Striking an impeccable balance between the humors of her character and the sincerity of the character’s humanity, Ewoldt makes Amalia Balash the ‘every-woman’ that we can all relate to when it comes to affairs of the heart. “Vanilla Ice Cream”, despite its absurd lyrics, becomes a true heart-pour of her emotions; “Where’s My Shoe?” is experienced in a similar vein, again with the ridiculous lyrics but with Ewoldt’s phenomenal performance it becomes this expression of determination and fire. Versatile and vocally perfect, Ewoldt brings the joy to the stage and makes you want her ‘happily ever after’ just as badly as you want it for Georg Nowack, if not more.

As they say at Maraczek’s— “thank you, Madam (and gentleman, and everyone) please come again— do come again—” or rather, if you haven’t been yet, do get to them, very soon. She Loves Me is a stellar feat of which Signature Theatre should be immensely proud; it well surpasses its mission to spread love and joy and happiness to those watching in the audience.

Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes with one intermission

She Loves Me plays through April 24, 2022 in the Max Theatre at Signature Theatre— 4200 Campbell Avenue in Shirlington, VA. For tickets call the box office at (703) 820-9771 or purchase them online.