UB Department of Theatre and Dance to present "She Loves Me"

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Department of Theatre and Dance at the University at Buffalo will present "She Loves Me" Nov. 15-19 in the Drama Theatre in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus. Performances will be held at 8 p.m. on Nov. 15-18 and 2 p.m. on Nov. 18 and 19.

"She Loves Me," a musical set in 1930s Budapest, with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and a book by Joe Masteroff, will be presented in a full production with orchestra and with newly designed and executed sets, lights, and costumes.

Bock and Harnick are best known as the creators of the beloved musical, "Fiddler on the Roof." Based on a play by Miklos Laszlos, "She Loves Me" follows the story of two pen pals, who are unknowingly also feuding co-workers. The story, which culminates on Christmas Eve, is well-known through two films drawn from the same source. One film, "The Little Shop Around the Corner," starred James Stewart and is on Time magazine's list of the top-100 movies of all time. The more recent film, "You've Got Mail," starred Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. The musical has been lovingly described by New York critics as "a bonbon," "a Vermeer in a room full of Rembrandts," and as "…magical and faultless."

New York director Kent Paul, known to Buffalo audiences for his productions at Studio Arena Theatre, returns to Buffalo to direct "She Loves Me." Paul has directed productions starring Hayley Mills, Sam Waterson, Lynn Redgrave, Boyd Gaines and many other nationally known artists, at major theatres across the country such as the New York Shakespeare Festival, Circle in the Square, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Contemporary Stage Company, and Syracuse Stage. At the Berkshire Theatre Festival, Paul directed "She Loves Me" with Marge Champion serving as the production's choreographer. His documentary film, "Sanford Meisner -- The Theater's Best Kept Secret," was broadcast on PBS and was seen at film festivals worldwide. Nathan R. Matthews, director of music theatre at UB, will music direct and conduct the production. Matthews, founding producing artistic director of New York's Riverside Opera Ensemble and a former member of the music staff of Santa Fe Opera, has collaborated on productions from Broadway to California and abroad, often with artists such as Harolyn Blackwell, Dixie Carter, Malcolm Gets, Mark Hamill and Anne Hathaway. In Western New York, Matthews has music directed/conducted at UB, the Irish Classical Theatre Company (this season's A Man of No Importance) and at Artpark (Smokey Joe's Café).

Students in the Music Theatre B.F.A. degree program comprise the cast of "She Loves Me." Bethany Moore of Clarion, Pa., and Christopher Critelli from Niagara Falls, N.Y., both seniors, have become well known to Buffalo audiences during their student years. They have appeared both separately and together at Musicalfare (Urinetown), the Irish Classical Theatre Company (A Man of No Importance) and at Artpark (Smokey Joe's Café, A Chorus Line, The Full Monty) in leading and featured roles. The production also features Kelsey Mathes, a sophomore, and Travis Taber, a junior, both from the Rochester area.

Tickets for "She Loves Me" are $16, students $8. Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Center for the Arts Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 1-416-870-8000. For group sales, call 645-6771. For more information, call 645-ARTS. The Center for the Arts is a Ticketfast location. Students (of any school) must present valid student ID at the Center Box Office to receive discount.