She Loves Me

Director’s Note

Welcome to the glamorous world of 1930s Budapest, where affections change as rapidly as the seasons and romance perfumes the air! As the Kansas spring awakens our sense of hope, it is fitting to celebrate the central message of She Loves Me: We are each of us loveable, quirks and all, and true love awaits all good hearts.

It has been a delight bringing this hidden-gem of a production to the Hesston College stage. She Loves Me follows a storyline that has seen many adaptations since its 1930s debut. The musical first appeared on Broadway in 1963 to critical acclaim but was overshadowed by the debut of the flashier Hello, Dolly. The show had its start much earlier, however, as the play The Parfumerie, by Hungarian playwright Miklos Laszlo. It was subsequently turned into the film, The Shop Around the Corner, in 1940, starring James Stewart, followed by a 1949 musical film entitled In the Good Old Summertime, with Judy Garland. In 1998 it surfaced yet again as the film You’ve Got Mail, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Over the decades audiences have been charmed by this story of feuding anonymous pen-pals who do not realize they are lovers until the very end. My hope is that you, too, will be surprised and delighted as you find a new song in your heart!

-Laura Kraybill