‘She Loves’ Intimacy Sets Mood

They don’t come sweeter or more piquant than “She Loves Me,” which for some reason gets revived infrequently. When it is, as in the production at UC Irvine’s Village Theatre, it’s a reminder of what a perfect marriage musicals have with the subject of love. And perhaps because of that, the more intimately “She Loves Me” is staged, the sweeter it gets.

The previous major revival of the musical (Jerry Bock music, Sheldon Harnick lyrics, Joe Masteroff book) hereabouts was bigger-than-Broadway scale. Joel Higgins and Pam Dawber starred at the then-cavernous Ahmanson Theatre and, later, at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

That production was more brassy than lovely, more broad than witty, making the frustrated and finally triumphant love story between two Budapest perfume store clerks more of an exhausting adventure than a delicious little fable.

But intimate is back at Irvine, where director Bev Redman has scaled down the show. The audience sits on risers on the stage itself, wonderfully close to the actors, and Gordon Richins has scaled down his set, a friendly cartoon version of Art Moderne. The traditional pit orchestra has been replaced by a sextet, conducted by musical director Dennis Castellano, working in and out of tune at the stage’s fringe.

“She Loves Me” done this way is a reverse of what happened to the show’s modest original film source, “The Shop Around the Corner,” when it was turned into a big, brassy Hollywood musical, “In the Good Old Summertime.” You can do the George-Amalia story big or small, but something tells us that small is better.

*

You can almost feel actor Eugene Douglas’ heart pound and breath come short as his George reels with anticipation at meeting the secret admirer he’s been anonymously corresponding with. Their planned dinner meeting becomes the center of our world, because Douglas and Karen Nichole Letizia as Amalia invest it with pent-up emotion that fills the small house.

“She Loves Me” isn’t opera, not even operetta, but it has a stream of wonderful songs. Redman’s cast hasn’t forgotten this.

Indeed, Redman reportedly rehearsed her student cast so that they spoke Harnick’s lyrics as dialogue; the flow from spoken action into song is almost always seamless. It’s constantly put to the test by this show, because many of the songs are solos: store owner Maraczek’s “Days Gone By,” Amalia’s “Vanilla Ice Cream,” clerk Sipos’ “Perspective,” George’s “She Loves Me” and clerk Ilona’s “A Trip to the Library.” Rarely has a musical allowed so many characters to have their moment alone, and, with this ensemble, the moments feel spontaneous, rather than pushed on us by an obligatory musical cue.

Douglas exudes a winning grace, eagerly playing up George’s vulnerabilities, which charge his chemistry with Letizia even (or especially) when George and Amalia are at each other’s throats. It takes us longer to snuggle up to Letizia, but once she’s spooning down “Vanilla Ice Cream,” she has us.

As sexually itchy clerks (and stormy ex-lovers) Ilona and Mr. Kodaly, Rebecca Lyn Russell and Ken Ward have great fun with an erotic, cynical mid-European style that contrasts with the sunnier George-Amalia pairing.

John M. Strain handles Maraczek’s regretful nature better than the old-man makeup, while Wesley Culwell and Damon Dodge are solid as clerks Arpad and Mr. Sipos. Glenn B. Sidwell puts on a smart, tongue-in-cheek act as a snooty waiter in the wacky number, “A Romantic Atmosphere,” in which choreographer Mark Haines lets his dancers go wildly tipsy for a few minutes.

* “She Loves Me,” UC Irvine Village Theatre, Bridge and Mesa roads. Today, 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m. Ends Saturday. $6-$10. (714) 824-2787. Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

“She Loves Me,”

Karen Nichole Letizia: Amalia

Eugene Douglas: George

Rebecca Lyn Russell: Ilona

Ken Ward: Mr. Kodaly

John M. Strain: Mr. Maraczek

Wesley Culwell: Arpad

Damon Dodge: Mr. Sipos

Glenn B. Sidwell: Waiter/Gino

A Drama at UCI Stage 2 Production of the Jerry Bock-Sheldon Harnick-Joe Masteroff musical. Directed by Bev Redman. Music director: Dennis Castellano. Set: Gordon Richins. Lights: Scott Rosenfield. Choreography: Mark Haines. Costumes: Linda Davisson. Stage manager: Erik E. Hedblom.