Four clerks in Maraczek's  Perfumerie live their individual philosophies. Steven Kodaly believes in his romantic sensuality and its power to persuade. Ladislav Sipos holds fast to his never make waves and you won't get carried away by them concept. Ilona Ritter relies on her belief that allure is all a woman needs to find happiness. Georg Nowack sets his future course on a get to know a person through intellectual pursuits and you cannot miss your opportunity for true love idea. Into their midst comes Amalia Balash whose sentiments align with those of Georg, but they do not get along at all.  Every element of my three forms of love are on stage and ready to play; the stakes are happiness; the songs make them worth it.

        Only the delivery boy, Arpad. pays no attention to love. He is more obsessed with bettering himself and becoming a clerk also. He is perceptive, however, and notes Ilona's affair with Kodaly. Anthony Velez plays Arpad and does a fine job in the role giving the boy's virginal qualities a wonderful semi-passivity.

        Playing the opposite end of the human spectrum is the shop-owner, Mt. Maraczek, played with integrity and charm by Gabe Belyeu. The man is in love with, in equal parts, his beautiful younger wife and his memories of a jaunty, adventurous youth, a spirit he has never lost. Even his morbid disenchantment doesn't last in this show and he literallly picks himself  up, brushes himself off and starts all over again, taking Arpad under his wing. The two men make a lovely couple for a Christmas eve dinner. Belyeu plays kind and plays vindictive with the same sort of honesty and he gives Maraczek a full-bodied honesty that is refreshing to see.

        Opening night was complete with disasters. The afternoon storm during their matinee took its toll on the evening's performance with a jammed sound system and other small errors which were cleared up by act two.  The musicians in the pit screwed up a few things but I am sure they will be cleaner in future performances.

        Xander James was a perfect Georg. He sang with warmth and even joy. His played the curmudgeon side of Georg with the same verve he employed as the romantic Georg. I found myself rooting for him throughout the play. He is handsome without being awkward about it. Instead his very natural sense left him more human than usual.

        Director John Saunders has done a very good job with this special romantic comedy. He has employed a soft, delicate touch and not pushed sentiment in place of reality, a hard thing to make work in a musical like this one.  Erin Kienan's sets and Bethany Marx's costumes have likewise given us the period and the place with the simplicity they deserve. Andrew Gmoser's colorful lighting design gives the show the sparkle it deserves. 

        This is a production to be proud of. It is certainly one worth seeing.

+  08/13/2021 +