By Jesslyn Soegito

The tried and true formula of a well-received musical goes like this: an accessible story, a grounding, genuine performance and impeccable production. But at the root of it, the best of them should be distilled down to two elements – musicality and a sound script. With these in play, any embellishment is hardly necessary.

For decades She Loves Me has ticked all these boxes, so much so that it has been included in every possible ranking list of must-see musicals. In 1999, the Production Company in Melbourne headlined the first Australian iteration of the show, and Sydney’s Hayes Theatre soon followed, the latter of which received critical acclaim. She Loves Me has also been staged once on Broadway and twice in London, though all three of them incurred financial losses. With the show following the prescribed formula of what should be a smashing success, the failure to return on investment is rather puzzling. The production’s source material is Parfumerie (1937), a Hungarian comedy by Miklós Lászlós. The story has been adapted into the 1940 movie Shop Around The Corner starring Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan, as well as a musical film version with Judy Garland and Van Johnson, In the Good Old Summertime. More popularly, it was also the progenitor for the plot of Meg Ryan and Tom Hank’s internet friendly You’ve Got Mail.

Roundabout Theatre’s 2016 production revives this sleeper hit with great results. It’s well casted, and beautifully sung by the principals – with all the components for a memorable night at the theatre. Sure, the plot of the play is threadbare on the grounds of reason; there’s not much to prop up the logic of two perfume clerks resenting each other in the workplace whilst unknowingly being secret pen-pals. But the story is tackled with such gumption and unflinching conviction that you can’t help but buy into it.

You’ll find a striking leading lady in Laura Benanti’s Amalia. She’s vivacious yet demure, and believable in her candour and emotion. Her rich soprano register does well to bolster the range of her performance. In her rendition of “Dear Friend” and “Vanilla Ice Cream” this is especially apparent, and one grows to appreciate her character’s hopeful vulnerability hidden beneath the feisty demeanour she presents to the larger world. Benanti, for all her seriousness, also has great comedic timing.

Meanwhile, Zachary Levi plays a surprisingly capable if flawed romantic lead. Georg is well- meaning despite the occasional foot-in-mouth moment, and Levi brings a cavalier touch to the initially down on his luck character. While his take on the play’s eponymous track isn’t the most technical, he oozes charm. In the second act his chemistry with Benanti also reaches new heights in their bedroom banter.

You’ll find your beta couple in the effective, if zany pairing of Jane Krakowski’s Ilona and Gavin Creel’s Kodaly. It wouldn’t be inaccurate to say Kodaly is the spry, moustached Casanova to Georg’s boyish charm. Meanwhile, the two ladies share a sisterly bond; sweet tempered, sultry honeypot Ilona is meted out by the more combative, though stalwart Amalia. And while Krakowski has made something of a living playing ditzy characters with sparkling sensuality, Ilona is the furthest thing from vapid. She is strangely likable, optimistic in her giddy romance in “A Trip To The Library” and wilful in her ballad “I Resolve”. It helps that Creel’s Kodaly is more amusing than slimy in his exaggerated pursuit of her.

Warren Carlyle’s choreography is energetic – cabaret-esque with elements of ballet and tango, boasting unexpected athleticism and wit even in the unlikeliest of roles. This buoyancy is seamlessly carried throughout the set pieces, which are rustic, warm-toned renderings of a romanticised version of 1930’s Budapest, courtesy of David Rockwell. Alongside the period wardrobe, the colourful boutiques feel like a scaled down emporium: brightly jewelled boxes lined with glass shelves, stacked full of scents, soaps and bath salts.

Adding to the sophisticated stagecraft are the talents of composer-lyricist duo Jerry Brock and Sheldon Harnick, whose score elicits yearning and humour at appropriate times. Scott Ellis’ direction allows every laugh to land and every moment of emotion to breathe, and this is further supported by his confidence and familiarity with the material. They navigate all the emotional beats gracefully, from animosity to tenuous courtship, be it in song or the actors’ cues. It’s well drawn and titillating in pace. Levi’s Georg, for instance, while smooth at times can be a lumbering yet adorable giant in numbers like “Tonight at Eight”.

But what makes She Loves Me vastly superior to other romantic musicals is its attention to character and subplot beyond the reaches of the central romance. A song adds value to a production when it lets you get to know the character, and by that logic, deprives the narrative of said function when taken out. Plenty of shows fail to distinguish this egalitarian approach to writing, song writing and production, whereas She Loves Me thrives by outfitting each principal with highly individualized, character-driven numbers that will guarantee their limelight. There’s a rare level of engagement with each of the seven main characters working under the parfumerie’s patriarch Mr. Maraczek (Byron Jennings) that most plays do not care to foster. This is all done through the most effective medium – song.

Perhaps the storyline’s shortcomings lie in the faculty of the women; they are offered less agency in comparison to their male counterparts, who revel in instigating the dramatic turns in each of their relationships. But it’s a nit-picky argument and one largely out of touch with the context of the genre. It just goes to remind you that so much of what dampens our ability to enjoy entertainment occurs from how we judge something by what is absent rather than what is there. The creative powers and star ensemble of She Loves Me has honoured what’s on the page with sensibility and care, introducing a freshness to the old fashioned, feel-good musical rom-com.

She Loves Me may not revolutionise a genre or bank itself on a mind-bending plot twist, but it is undeniably smart, stylish and heart-warming. And yes, regardless of how your mileage may vary, that claim holds true.

Roundabout Theatre’s She Loves Me is available for streaming on Broadway HD here.