This year’s Edmond Memorial High School fall production was a 1963 musical titled “She Loves Me” and had operatic singing, bright scenery, and wonderful chemistry throughout the cast. The production included beautiful storytelling throughout the piece and left the audience on the edge of their seats, never knowing what was going to come next. While this musical was not a well-known choice, that did not stop it from reaching its full potential.

 The story takes place in the 1930s, originally written in 1963, and follows Georg and Amalia, a pair of co-workers who have many disputes, however, their relationship changes over the course of the story. The storyline was absolutely amazing and a great fit for the cast. While the show did tend to run long, with two and a half hours of singing and acting, the cast and crew did an amazing job of keeping the audience engaged. From costumes to set design, it was eye-catching and attention-seeking.

The main role, Amalia Balash, played by Olivia Hamlin, was wonderfully cast and sang beautifully with an opera-style voice. She and Georg Nowack, played by Colin Nye, paired well and made the story extremely believable. While watching this musical, there were times when I was completely transported to the realism of the story and completely forgot that it was acting. More roles such as Ilona Ritter (Paige Medley), Mr. Maraczek (Rami Sawan), Ladislav Sipos (David Pehrson) and Walter (Ari Dinger) really helped carry the story along and added comedic effects to keep the audience feeling engaged.

The acting was amazing, and so was the singing. Some of my favorite songs included “Vanilla Ice Cream,” “She Loves Me,” “Tonight At Eight” and “Finale,” which was sung specifically by Georg and Amalia. The songs switched from upbeat to slower, yet still stayed in the same operatic genre which added to the enjoyment of the music. Many solos were performed, so many actors were able to show off their individual skills, which I really appreciated. It felt fair to each and every actor and actress and helped the audience get to know every character inside and out.

The costumes perfectly fit the time period, with the guys wearing dark or pinstriped suits and many layers and the women wearing long, colorful dresses with petticoats underneath. Each and every character’s outfit fit their personality perfectly. Bubbly, outgoing characters wore brighter colors and more mysterious characters dressed in darker colors while still staying in the ‘30s era. 

The hair and makeup were classic, with bold red lipstick and tight, short curls for the women. The men’s hair was parted and gelled, in the ‘30s fashion.

As well as the beautiful costumes, hair and makeup, the set did not disappoint. I appreciated how quickly and easily the sets changed. It was done within 30-45 seconds each scene change. One of the two sets included a hospital room and a bedroom, with the rooms quickly being flipped to show the other space. The main open and close set, which displayed the inside and outside of the parfumerie was vivid and bursting with color. The palette was pastels mixed with brighter colors and was on theme for the time period. While the colors helped make the set memorable, so did the little details. Every detail such as coat hooks, perfumes, books and many others had a purpose and were not just for show. This added to the realism of the set and helped make the musical believable.

Along with the details of the set, I could not help but notice the details of the characters and how well-developed they were. From the main cast to more of the background characters, everyone added to their characters by embracing their role and leaning into their character’s personality. Even when actors did not have lines, they still captured the essence of their characters and never broke their roles. More of the smaller roles helped carry on the comedy and could be seen sneaking drinks from other characters, mouthing arguments or having a variety of expressions.

The cast and crew were perfectly chosen and everything was choreographed to perfection, with the dance numbers being fun and intriguing. The effort put in by the cast and crew was clear and did not disappoint their audiences. The mixture of romance and comedy was prominent and the actors did a wonderful job of reflecting this to help carry the story along. Overall, this musical was a wonderful fit and just goes to show how amazing the EMHS drama department really is.

Contact Grian Foley at [email protected]