This video was made for last night's SPOTLIGHT SPECTACULAR in honor of Huntington Artistic Director Nicholas Martin. Enjoy...
The video features comments and memories from Andrea Martin, Victor Garber, Debra Monk, Noah Haidle, Cigdem Onat, Daniel Goldstein, Scott Ellis, Kate Burton, Maureen Anderman, Jerry Kissel, Brooks Ashmanskas, and Will Lebow.
Other highlights of the evening were host Olympia Dukakis, who gave new meaning to the words "Spotlight Spectacular" via her trademark vocal delivery, local actor Will Lebow performing a bit of Noel Coward, and She Loves Me cast members Kate Baldwin and Troy Britton Johnson giving us a preview of what we can look forward to in our upcoming production.
There was a little of the old and new - with incoming Artistic Director Peter Dubois introducing the above video clip, followed by a (typically short yet entertaining) speech by incoming Artist Emeritus Nicky Martin speaking with fondness about the Huntington and his true affection for "the people across the street in the theatre and shops" - our great team of talented production staff - "who don't get thanked nearly as often as they should". I'll second that emotion!
Trustee Carol Deane and her husband Disque were honored with The Wimberly Award (the Huntington's highest honor), for their outstanding support, contributions, and work on behalf of the Huntington.
If you missed the fun but would like to help out - we're happy to take your hard earned cash any hour of the day. Get your credit card ready and login here. "A donation to the Huntington Theatre Company will help us continue to bring our world-class productions, innovative artistic programs, and acclaimed youth, education, and community outreach initiatives to Boston. Your gift will also entitle you to special benefits that are only available to donors."
May 6, 2008
May 5, 2008
Love Letters: The Story behind "She Loves Me"
What do you do when you discover the soul mate you’ve been writing to is in fact the co-worker you’ve come to loathe? This is the conflict at the heart of the Huntington’s final show of the season, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s She Loves Me. Not your typical boy-meets-girl love story, the tale behind She Loves Me has a rich production history, from star-studded film adaptations to award-winning musical productions. It all started, however, with a little-known Hungarian play called Parfumerie.
Written in 1937 by Miklos Laszlo (and known as Illatszerar in Hungary), Parfumerie revolves around a shop owner who suspects his wife of infidelity. Though this is the central story, Laszlo gives equal time to the employees who work in the shop. One of the subplots follows two quarrelling employees who find love in anonymous “dear friend” letters, written to each other.
This romantic subplot subsequently inspired German filmmaker Ernst Lubitsch. Best known for his romantic comedies and for being a two-time Oscar nominee, Lubitsch adapted the play into the 1940 film The Shop Around the Corner, starring Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. 1949’s In the Good Old Summertime, starring Judy Garland and Van Johnson (and introducing Liza Minnelli in her film debut) transplanted the same story to Chicago, and changes the perfume store to a record shop. This film is known for first introducing music into the story, though many believe the songs chosen for Summertime felt oddly tacked-on. The film failed commercially, and the story would not re-emerge until a decade later with the 1963 Broadway musical She Loves Me.
Inspired by The Shop Around the Corner, producer Lawrence Kasha approached his friend Sheldon Harnick about adapting the material into a musical. Excited by the idea, a team was quickly assembled, consisting of Harnick (lyrics), Jerry Bock (music), and Joe Masteroff (book). They approached well-known director Gower Champion to direct, but when he rejected the offer, they turned to a young co-producer on the production, Harold Prince. (Little did they know Prince would go on to play a major role in Broadway’s history, directing such hits as Cabaret, Company, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Candide, Phantom of the Opera, and numerous others.) The production attracted a highly talented cast, with Daniel Massey as Georg, Barbara Baxley as Ilona, Barbara Cook as Amalia, and Jack Cassidy as Kodaly.
The run closed after only 302 performances, and despite a stint in London in 1964, would not see Broadway lights again until the Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival in 1994, directed by Scott Ellis (recent director of the Huntington’s Streamers). Ellis’ revival was heralded for its innovative staging and for giving She Loves Me a renewed profile.
The story of She Loves Me has grown far beyond the story of employees in a Hungarian perfume shop, as reflected in the latest film adaptation, 1998’s You’ve Got Mail. Directed by Nora Ephron and starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, this re-telling found a home in the technological era. Instead of exchanging letters, the couple exchanges e-mails, and instead of being co-workers, they are competitors in the bookselling industry.
The story of Georg and Amalia continues to delight romantics and melt hearts, in film and musical form alike. Now, as Nicholas Martin nears the end of his time as the Huntington’s Artistic Director, he has chosen the musical the World-Telegram & Sun called “dear, charming, and wholeheartedly romantic” as the capstone to his tenure. Be sure to discover what this newest production of She Loves Me will bring!
- Brett Marks
Written in 1937 by Miklos Laszlo (and known as Illatszerar in Hungary), Parfumerie revolves around a shop owner who suspects his wife of infidelity. Though this is the central story, Laszlo gives equal time to the employees who work in the shop. One of the subplots follows two quarrelling employees who find love in anonymous “dear friend” letters, written to each other.
This romantic subplot subsequently inspired German filmmaker Ernst Lubitsch. Best known for his romantic comedies and for being a two-time Oscar nominee, Lubitsch adapted the play into the 1940 film The Shop Around the Corner, starring Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. 1949’s In the Good Old Summertime, starring Judy Garland and Van Johnson (and introducing Liza Minnelli in her film debut) transplanted the same story to Chicago, and changes the perfume store to a record shop. This film is known for first introducing music into the story, though many believe the songs chosen for Summertime felt oddly tacked-on. The film failed commercially, and the story would not re-emerge until a decade later with the 1963 Broadway musical She Loves Me.
Inspired by The Shop Around the Corner, producer Lawrence Kasha approached his friend Sheldon Harnick about adapting the material into a musical. Excited by the idea, a team was quickly assembled, consisting of Harnick (lyrics), Jerry Bock (music), and Joe Masteroff (book). They approached well-known director Gower Champion to direct, but when he rejected the offer, they turned to a young co-producer on the production, Harold Prince. (Little did they know Prince would go on to play a major role in Broadway’s history, directing such hits as Cabaret, Company, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Candide, Phantom of the Opera, and numerous others.) The production attracted a highly talented cast, with Daniel Massey as Georg, Barbara Baxley as Ilona, Barbara Cook as Amalia, and Jack Cassidy as Kodaly.
The run closed after only 302 performances, and despite a stint in London in 1964, would not see Broadway lights again until the Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival in 1994, directed by Scott Ellis (recent director of the Huntington’s Streamers). Ellis’ revival was heralded for its innovative staging and for giving She Loves Me a renewed profile.
The story of She Loves Me has grown far beyond the story of employees in a Hungarian perfume shop, as reflected in the latest film adaptation, 1998’s You’ve Got Mail. Directed by Nora Ephron and starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, this re-telling found a home in the technological era. Instead of exchanging letters, the couple exchanges e-mails, and instead of being co-workers, they are competitors in the bookselling industry.
The story of Georg and Amalia continues to delight romantics and melt hearts, in film and musical form alike. Now, as Nicholas Martin nears the end of his time as the Huntington’s Artistic Director, he has chosen the musical the World-Telegram & Sun called “dear, charming, and wholeheartedly romantic” as the capstone to his tenure. Be sure to discover what this newest production of She Loves Me will bring!
- Brett Marks
Sinan Unel gets the last word
My inbox today contained this nice note from Sinan to the entire staff at the Huntington - I thought it worth sharing;
We had a truly inspiring closing last night. Everything worked beautifully. People were riveted the whole time. As they were walking out, I heard snippets:
What a powerful play.
An amazing production.
And the doors?
Best thing I've seen.
It's truly gratifying to know that people keep talking about the play after it's over.
This has been a wonderful time for me. I hope you don't think it's obnoxious that I've borrowed all of your addresses from a previous email from Michael. I wanted to extend my gratitude to all of you for making this such an amazing experience. Thank you for your work, your contribution, your hospitality, talent and friendship. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Best wishes,
Sinan
We had a truly inspiring closing last night. Everything worked beautifully. People were riveted the whole time. As they were walking out, I heard snippets:
What a powerful play.
An amazing production.
And the doors?
Best thing I've seen.
It's truly gratifying to know that people keep talking about the play after it's over.
This has been a wonderful time for me. I hope you don't think it's obnoxious that I've borrowed all of your addresses from a previous email from Michael. I wanted to extend my gratitude to all of you for making this such an amazing experience. Thank you for your work, your contribution, your hospitality, talent and friendship. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Best wishes,
Sinan
May 1, 2008
She Loves Me - In Rehearsal
Yesterday was the film shoot for our upcoming behind the scenes video. Here are a few photos taken during the shoot. Extra - Extra
From today's rehearsal report: "A very productive day of rehearsal. We started the day with a review of the Romantic Atmosphere dance. The dancers and Denis are doing really great work, and it is coming together nicely. We followed this with a lot of scene work in act two. We have now touched on the whole show. After lunch we did a run thru of act one. The cast managed very nicely for a first run, especially having not touched act one in a few days. We are in good shape to head into the weekend. Tomorrow we plan to do some more scene work and a run of act 2."
Photos are being added daily to our production photo album here.
You still have time to vote for your favorite couple here. Adam & Megan are enjoying a slight lead, with Dee & George in a close second. Vote early, vote often. The voting closes May 12 at Noon.
From today's rehearsal report: "A very productive day of rehearsal. We started the day with a review of the Romantic Atmosphere dance. The dancers and Denis are doing really great work, and it is coming together nicely. We followed this with a lot of scene work in act two. We have now touched on the whole show. After lunch we did a run thru of act one. The cast managed very nicely for a first run, especially having not touched act one in a few days. We are in good shape to head into the weekend. Tomorrow we plan to do some more scene work and a run of act 2."
Photos are being added daily to our production photo album here.
You still have time to vote for your favorite couple here. Adam & Megan are enjoying a slight lead, with Dee & George in a close second. Vote early, vote often. The voting closes May 12 at Noon.
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