Presented in association with the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the production — directed by Nicholas Martin — will play the B.U. Theatre (Huntington's main stage) May 16-June 15 and then will head to Williamstown beginning June 27.
The cast will feature the previously announced Brooks Ashmanskas as Georg Nowack and Kate Baldwin as Amalia Balash. Newcomers to the cast include The Drowsy Chaperone's Troy Britton Johnson as Steven Kodaly, Tony Award winner Dick Latessa as Mr. Maraczek, Jessica Stone as Ilona, Jeremy Beck as Arpad, Mark Nelson as Sipos and Mark Vietor as the Headwaiter. The ensemble comprises Ashley Arcement, Jason Babinsky, Nancy E. Carroll, Aldrin Gonzales, Rosie Hunter, Matthew Kiernan, Josh Mertz, Kat Nejat, Denise Payne and Sarah Turner.
She Loves Me — the 1963 jewelbox romantic musical comedy by Joe Masteroff, Sheldon Harnick and Jerome Bock — is the first major musical production by the Huntington in six years, and the final directing assignment for Martin in his role as artistic director. He's the new artistic director of Williamstown.
Here's how Huntington characterizes it: "She Loves Me is the perfect musical — warm and funny, with what's considered one of the most beautiful scores in the American theatre. Acclaimed since its 1963 premiere and rediscovered in a hit 1993 Broadway revival, She Loves Me has captivated audiences for decades. This romantic comedy is the story of two lovesick, anonymous pen pals who work together during the day, blissfully unaware that they are writing to each other at night. An endearing tale of unlikely sweethearts and the eccentric colleagues who aid and abet them, She Loves Me is based on Parfumerie, the [Miklos Laszlo] play that also inspired the Jimmy Stewart classic 'The Shop Around the Corner,' and the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan film 'You've Got Mail.'"
The play also inspired the M-G-M musical picture, "In the Good Old Summertime." Bock and Harnick are best known for writing the score to Fiddler on the Roof. Their work also includes the Pulitzer Prize-winning Fiorello! as well as The Apple Tree, Tenderloin and The Rothschilds.
Masteroff wrote the book for the Kander and Ebb musical, Cabaret.
The production will also feature choreography by Denis Jones, musical direction by Charlie Alterman, scenic design by James Noone, costume design by Robert Morgan, lighting co-designed by Ken Posner and Philip Rosenberg and sound co-designed by Drew Levy and Tony Smolenski. Production stage manager is Matthew Silver; stage manager is Eileen Kelly.
Tickets are available by calling (617) 266-0800 or by visiting huntingtontheatre.org.
