She Loves Me, considered by many to be the most charming musical ever written, is a warm romantic comedy featuring music by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick (Fiddler on the Roof) and book by Joe Masteroff (Cabaret).  In a ‘scented’ case of mistaken identity and letter writing, it tells the story of two feuding perfume clerks who have no idea that they are actually in love.  The show was nominated for five Tony Awards in 1964 and the 1993 Broadway revival won the Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical and the 1994 Critics Circle Award for Best Musical.

Fun fact...it is actually the third adaptation of the play, Parfumerie by Hungarian playwright, Miklos Laszlo.  The first adaptation was the 1940 James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan film, The Shop around the Corner, and the next was the 1949 Judy Garland and Van Johnson film, In the Good Old Summertime. Perhaps most notably for a modern audience the play was then later adapted to film once more as the Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks classic...You've Got Mail.

She Loves Me is now set for an Australian season at The Hayes Theatre as part of its Artist-Led Initiative program.  Making her directorial debut for She Loves Me is Australian Music Theatre powerhouse Erin James.  With a vast string of professional credits to her name, including an AACTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the feature film The Little Death, we asked Erin about her creative vision for the show and what audiences can expect from this charming musical.

In your own words, can you tell us a bit about She Loves Me and why you chose it to be your directorial debut?

I think She Loves Me is one of the most beautiful musicals ever written. It’s a story which focuses on character and relationships and in an intimate venue like Hayes Theatre Co, it is a perfect fit. The show itself is over 50 years old and the play it is based on is over 80 years old, but the themes are still just as relevant to us today as they were in the 1930s. 

The show focuses around sales clerks Amalia and Georg — colleagues at a Parfumerie in Budapest who spend their days at loggerheads with each other while simultaneously (and unknowingly) undertaking a romantic correspondence through an anonymous lonely-hearts column. 

Anonymous messaging and online dating are the younger cousins of the lonely-hearts columns of old, and although our current communication methods have advanced beyond the handwritten letters we see in the show, the hearts of humans have not. Whether communication be instantaneous or via snail mail in the post, hearts skip a beat when reading a message from someone special. Even if that someone is a stranger.

Congratulations on being the first recipient of The Artist Led-Initiative with The Hayes. Can you tell us a bit about it?

Thank you. I feel so lucky to have been given the incredible opportunity to bring a vision to life on stage and it’s all because of the newly devised Artist-Led Initiative at Hayes Theatre Co. 

The initiative is so unique and as the inaugural recipient of this exciting program, I am constantly finding new and exciting discoveries about the initiative at every turn. 

From the support of the Hayes Theatre Co to the lessons I am learning in all areas of theatrical production, this experience for me has been a game changer. I knew I was passionate about directing and I knew I wanted to be a voice in the musical theatre scene here in Australia. But the learning so far has been much deeper and much more expansive than I could have imagined. 

Now, you have assembled a bit of a dream team for your cast! Talk us through these talented humans and who they will be playing?!

My spectacular cast of 9 are the cream of the crop. With Rowan Witt and Caitlin Berry in the roles of Georg and Amalia, I have found two incredibly talented and versatile actors who are ready and willing to play and create this world with me. Tony Llewellyn-Jones as the shop owner, Mr Maraczek, is an utter delight to work with and I am beyond excited to have him in the company. Kurt Phelan and Zoe Gertz are electric together as Ilona and Kodaly and I know my choreographer, Leslie Bell, will have a ball working with these two. With such a small cast, we will be doubling some roles and I can’t think of anyone better than the wonderful Jay James-Moody to bring several complex and hilarious characters to life. Joel Granger is the wide-eyed Arpad through and through, while Georgina Walker and Suzanne Steele will each be playing countless featured roles throughout the show!