A musical by Masteroff, Bock & Harnick

Directed by Eileen Rawlings

9th-14th February 2009 at 7.45pm

Synopsis:

The musical is the third adaptation of the play “Parfumerie” by Hungarian playwright Miklos Lazlo, following the 1940 James Stewart-Margaret Sullavan film “The Shop Around the Corner” and the Judy Garland-Van Johnson musical version “In the Good Old Summertime”. It surfaced yet again in 1998 as the Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan feature “You’ve Got Mail”.

The plot revolves around Budapest shop employees Georg Nowack and Amalia Balashwho, despite being constantly at odds with each other at work, are unaware that each is the other’s secret pen pal met through lonely-hearts ads.

The Cast:

Review:

by Linda Kirkman

I first saw this show in the West End back in 1994, and I fell in love with it. Fifteen years later I’ve fallen in love with it all over again, and I can give this production no higher accolade.

This intimate and absolutely charming musical is totally suited to the equally intimate Club, where an excellent set belies the fact that the stage area is so very tiny. And the story is delightful – set in Maraczek’s Parfumerie, it centres round the love-hate relationship between two of the staff, Georg Nowack and Amalia Balash, played brilliantly by Jeremy Mills and Cathy Murray.

All the characters are extremely well drawn and that, combined with fine direction by Eileen Rawlings to ensure complete realism and just the right pace, makes for a wholly satisfying evening.

The singing is great and there are glorious characterisations all round, not least Scott McGarrick’s appealingly Frank Spencer-like Arpad, Beverley Beck’s man-hungry Ilona, Adam Donoghue’s oily Steven Kodaly, Mike Griffiths’ lonely Mr Maraczek and Noel Davenport’s worried Ladislav. And both Reg Beckley (waiter) and Jordan Mills (busboy) make the most of their cameo roles.