Behind the Curtain | She Loves Me | Broadway's Best | Great Performances on PBS

Go behind the scenes of She Loves Me with insights from the cast and production team.

TUNE IN: The critically-acclaimed Roundabout Theatre Company production of She Loves Me comes to Great Performances, Friday, October 20 at 9PM (check local listings) as the opening presentation of PBS’s fall Broadway’s Best lineup.

She Loves Me joins Present Laughter (November 3), Indecent (November 19), and Holiday Inn (November 24, and also from Roundabout) as part of PBS’s Broadway’s best lineup, directed for television by Emmy Award-winner David Horn, executive producer of both Great Performances and THIRTEEN’s local Theater Close-Up series. All four titles are productions by the theater streaming service BroadwayHD in association with THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC for WNET.

She Loves Me was the first Broadway musical ever to stream live during a performance at Roundabout Theatre Company’s Studio 54. In the musical, Tony Award® winner Laura Benanti and Tony Award® nominee Zachary Levi star as Amalia and Georg, two parfumerie clerks who aren’t quite the best of friends. Constantly bumping heads while on the job, the sparring coworkers can’t seem to find common ground. But little do they know, the anonymous romantic pen pals they have both been falling for happen to be each other. Will love continue to blossom once their identities are finally revealed?

Critics unanimously embraced this latest production. Mark Kennedy of Associated Press, for one, remarked, “An astounding cast, a nifty story and memorable songs turn this revival into a celebration of classic musical construction.”

For BroadwayHD this performance of She Loves Me was produced by Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley and captured by BroadwayHD in June 2016, in association with Ellen M. Krass Productions, Inc. and THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC FOR WNET. It was directed for television by David Horn.

Part of Roundabout’s 50th Anniversary Season, She Loves Me also starred Byron Jennings (Maraczek), Gavin Creel (Kodaly), Tom McGowan (Sipos) and Jane Krakowski (Ilona) with Nicholas Barasch (Arpad) and Peter Bartlett (Head Waiter).

The production was directed by Tony Award® nominee Scott Ellis, choreographed by Warren Carlyle with musical direction by Paul Gemignani. This classic musical comedy features a book by Joe Masteroff, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and music by Jerry Bock.

This marks the second presentation of She Loves Me on Great Performances which aired a well-remembered British studio version starring Robin (“Poldark”) Ellis and Gemma (“The Slipper and the Rose”) Craven which delighted viewers.

The celebrated score features favorites such as “Vanilla Ice Cream,” “A Romantic Atmosphere,” “Dear Friend,” and “She Loves Me.” The musical is based on a play by Miklos Laszlo, whose well-known romantic story was the basis for the 1940 James Stewart film “The Shop Around the Corner,” the 1949 Judy Garland and Van Johnson musical “In the Good Old Summertime,” and the 1998 Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan film “You’ve Got Mail.”

Roundabout’s Associate Artistic Director Scott Ellis previously directed Roundabout’s ten-time Tony nominated revival of “She Loves Me” in 1993, which marked the first Broadway musical in the company’s history and launched the Musical Theatre Program at Roundabout.

The production started previews on February 19, 2016 and with the official opening on March 17, 2016. The creative team includes David Rockwell (sets), Jeff Mahshie (costumes), Don Holder (Lights), Jon Weston (Sound), Larry Hochman (Orchestrations), David Krane (Dance Arrangements & Incidental Music).
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[maggiejane]

This is seriously one of my favorite musicals

[SplishSplashPinup]

Thank you PBS so much for airing this!!! It became my most favorite musical! Since December I've been watching this on repeat and I. Never get tired of it!!👏😍❤ Such an underrated musical and need so much more love.

[mayadg]

Who ever disliked it, is probably Kodaly.

[cynaraslover]

I saw this show with Barbara Cook when l was twelve years old, and the London transfer of the Scott Ellis revival -- twice -- in 94 and 95, the Huntington Theatre Company revival in Boston in 2008, and yesterday l saw the Greater Boston Stage production. Nothing can touch Miss Cook's impression on me at 12, but the show is perennially delightful.

[erpollock]

No one has mentioned the BBC version of She Loves Me from 1978 with Robin Ellis (of the first Poldark series) and Gemma Craven. That was a lovely production, very sensitive and romantic. It's on DVD I'm sure, and it's certainly on YouTube in its entirety. I love Gemma Craven's beautiful voice and gentle, wistful delivery. She lacks the toughness of Laura Benanti, and that's all to the better. Robin Ellis is an ideal leading man. I remember seeing this on PBS 40 years ago, and now, older, I realize the men were wearing very fluffy toupees! But I remember the songs Amalia Ballash sings, all the words. "Dear Friend" has some vocal challenges!

[manuelorozco]

Cannot wait to watch it this weekend. I keep thinking of Zack and Laura together onstage as Eugene cheating off Rapunzel with Lady Caine.

[gracehull]

I saw this show at Niagara University and it is now forever my favorite

[ItsWayMoreThanMusic]

So they cut 45 minutes worth of music? If they kept any of it, I want to hear it badly

[davidrosen]

In 1981, Gerry Gutierrez directed an excellent Off Broadway Playwright Horizons production of She Loves Me way out in Queens on the Fairgrounds, starring Sophie Hayden (then Sophie Schwab) and future Broadway director Walter Bobby an the brillianT Andrea Martin, Very special, almost made it across the East River for a run, but alas. A opportunity missed forwever.

[carlosbenevides]

Early 90's Brooke Atkinson on Broadway, Laura B. Can't remember Ilona but fell in love. Any idea?

[blueslidey]

Steven: Illona I think you’re like super pretty and nice and cool, wanna go on a date? Illona: go to hell