Sophomore Emily Griffith sings onstage during “She Loves Me” the musical.
Jack Cote | Collegian
Romance and dancing are key themes in this semester’s Tower Players musical “She Loves Me,” directed by theatre professor Tory Matsos.
The Tony nominee focuses on two tumultuous relationships: competitive coworkers Georg Nowack and Amalia Balash, who are unknowingly pen pals, and the on-and-off again Steven Kodaly and Ilona Ritter. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1963 as an adaptation of the 1937 Hungarian play “Parfumerie,” though today’s viewers may better recognize its modern counterpart, the 1998 romantic comedy “You’ve Got Mail.”
“This is the 75th anniversary season of Tower Players, and the full season was selected to celebrate the long tradition of producing theater on campus,” Matsos said. “As a Golden Age-era musical comedy, ‘She Loves Me’ is a nice balance to more dramatic works in the rest of the season.”
“She Loves Me” follows the everyday lives of parfumerie employees seeking love, set upon the background of 1930s Hungary. Despite the looming threat of World War II and the ongoing Great Depression, the musical does not center upon that.
“The economic, national, and international issues are just in the background,” sophomore Emily Griffith said. “Oftentimes people seem to forget in history that these people who are a part of these great big things were still people. They were still seeking friendship, seeking love. That’s what the show is about.”
Griffith plays the role of Illona Ritter, who easily falls for the playboy Steven Kodaly.
“Ilona works in the parfumerie and she is definitely a person that is in love with love, and she often seeks it in places and specifically in one person that she probably shouldn’t,” Griffith said.
Kodaly is played by Kevin Pynes, one of two freshmen leads.
“Kodaly is a bit of a player, a bit of a sleazy character,” Pynes said. “Now, he has this very likable persona, and I think the audience hopefully will get lulled into a sense of liking his character before they can come to realize just how much of a narcissist, how much of a good guy he ain’t.”
Pynes expressed his excitement over his family being able to watch his first Hillsdale show this Parents Weekend.
“My parents were really encouraging and my brother reviews theater back in Lincoln, Nebraska,” Pynes said. “My great-grandparents actually grew up in Bavaria and one in Switzerland, and they met during a show in Nebraska. So, the trope in my family is that none of us would exist without theater. I feel like it’s how I add back to the world.”
This semester’s musical features a largely freshman cast, an uncommon trait in most Hillsdale shows.
“We’re all so grateful to have the opportunity, because we’re learning so much being in the show with the upperclassmen,” freshman Grace Gainar said. “You can watch them and mimic that yourself. AJ Palubinskas, who is the lead, plays Georg in the show. He is so good about incorporating little motions and movements. They’re not scripted, but it helps him to develop his character that feels very natural to him at the moment.”
Gainar is a member of the ensemble, with a focus as a customer and dancer.
“It’s so great in the ensemble. You can make up any story you want about where your characters have been, or how you want to portray this character in the moment,” Gainar said. “There’s one part where I am an unhappy customer because I’ve gotten a jar of sour face cream, and it’s really great to be able to give the clerk a ton of attitude. We also spend a lot of time backstage when we’re not being needed, and it’s a great way to bond with each other and just have fun.”
Many cast members emphasized the lighthearted script.
“Especially for Hillsdale students who are so busy and always running around, I think they’ll see themselves in this show,” Griffith said. “Sometimes art is meant to challenge you, sometimes it’s meant to leave you feeling uncomfortable. That’s not what ‘She Loves Me’ is, it is to make you feel that warm feeling in your chest. I think that’s something that everybody could benefit from.”
Despite missing a few days of rehearsal due to the power outage, director Victoria Matsos believes the cast is prepared for an audience.
“We lost a couple days of rehearsal and technical work due to the ice storm, but I’ve been so impressed with how quickly our team made up for lost time,” Matsos said. “The cast and crew are absolutely ready to welcome an audience on opening night.”
