Friday, February 11, 2011
Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities Presents SHE LOVES ME

Headwaiter (Mark Oka) gets caught in the middle of the hostility between Amalia (Leslie Margherita) and Georg (Jason Webb). (Photo courtesy of Alysa Brennan)

Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities and Executive Producer James A. Blackman III proudly opens their 20th Anniversary Season with Bock & Harnick's beautiful love story, She Loves Me.  Performances begin on Wednesday February 16 (with a gala press opening on Saturday February 19) and will run through Sunday March 6 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center.
 
Often considered the "perfect" musical by aficionados, She Loves Me is a delight to all audiences. Based on the Hungarian play Parfumerie by Laszlo, the story is familiar to audiences from the film adaptations of the play: the 1940 film The Shop Around the Corner starring James Stewart, the 1949 film In the Good Old Summertime starring Judy Garland, and the 1998 film You've Got Mail starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.  With one of the best scores in musical theatre, She Loves Me was created by the team that gave us  Fiddler on the Roof.  With a history of 14 Tony Award nominations between the original production and the revival, and seven Olivier Award nominations for the British revival, this musical is the perfect  show to kick off the CLOSBC 20th Anniversary season.

This romantic comedy tells the story of Amalia and Georg, two employees in Maraczek's Parfumerie, who take an immediate dislike to each other at work. After bickering all day, they find solace in writing to their respective pen pals, each of them having joined a lonely hearts club. Neither suspects that the person they love on paper is the same person they loathe at work. Surrounded by co-workers with ambitions and dreams of their own, this perfect musical is the perfect Valentine's treat.

The cast features Olivier Award winner Lesli Margherita as Ilona Ritter, Mark Edgar Stephens as Steven Kodaly, John Hall as Mr. Maraczek, Jason Webb as Georg,  Susannah Hall as Amalia, Todd Nielson as Ladislav Sipos, Ryland Dodge as Arpad, and Mark Oka as the Headwaiter.  The superb ensemble is made up of Kim Arnett, Kai Chubb, Craig Donnelly, Jasmine Ejan, Brad Fitzgerald, Truly Magyar, Ashley Nordland, Isaak Olson, Ramone Owens, and Rory Patterson.
 
Directed by Stephanie A. Coltrin, Musical Direction by Daniel Gary Busby, Choreography by Heather Castillo, Set Design by Christopher Beyries, Lighting Design by Darrell Clark, Costume Design by Christa Armendariz, Sound Design by John Feinstein.
 
All performances are held at the 1475 seat REDONDO BEACH PERFORMING ARTS  CENTER  located at 1935 Manahattan Beach Blvd. Redondo Beach, Ca 90278. There is ample parking and valet parking is available nightly.

Tickets range from $30-$65 and can be purchased by calling 310-372-4477 or by visiting Civic Light Opera's  website at www.civiclightopera.com. Student, senior, and group discounts are available by calling the box office.

Performances Tuesday-Saturdays at 8pm, Matinees Saturday December 11, Sunday December 12,  Saturday December18th and Sunday December 19 at 2pm. Sunday evening performances on December 12th and 19th at 7pm.