This is a review posted on September 16, 1:01 PMPhoenix Theater ExaminerMaile Hernandez

She Loves Me, Gilbert’s Hale Centre Theatre’s current offering, is a sweet, simple story.  It is not a glittering, dazzling amalgamation of vocal pyrotechnics or gimmicky special effects.  No one flies up into the air, no helicopters land onstage.  It is a classic tale of two people falling in love, told through dialogue and music, in the style of a clean, old-school, classic musical.

Based on a Hungarian play by Miklos Laszlo, She Loves Me is the story of coworkers who loathe each other while unknowingly falling in love as pen pals.  The familiar tale has been told and retold with variations, most recently in the movie You’ve Got Mail.

In She Loves Me, perfume shop employees Georg and Amalia share intimate anonymous letters after meeting through a “lonely hearts”  advertisement.  On the job, they bicker and compete with one another incessantly.

There isn’t much suspense here.  The audience knows what’s coming.  But the show is beautifully written.  The clever dialogue is at turns tender and humorous.  The songs are short, but their melodies are lovely and memorable (music and lyrics are by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, best known for Fiddler on the Roof).  The musical numbers here are not an excuse to insert a showstopping dance routine; rather, they serve the definite purpose of advancing the plot, and do so very effectively.

Alaina Beauloye is a petite spitfire as Amalia, with a sweet and pitch-perfect soprano.  In particular, she impresses with her exuberant “Vanilla Ice Cream” and plaintive “Will He Like Me?”.  Eric Thompson is very likable as the sharp-edged but lovelorn Georg, and there is true chemistry between the two leads.

The cast is rather small, giving the show an intimate feel, and they carry the show very well on their collective shoulders.  Dorman Smith is excellent as the overwrought perfume store owner, Mr. Maraczek.  As coworker Ilona Ritter, also looking for love, Laura Safsten is attractive and poised, and brings down the house with her Act 2 showstopper “A Trip to the Library.”  It is a pleasure to see Safsten stretch her wings here - as an ensemble member in Blackbeard last year at the Herberger Theater delivering such one-line solos as “Bad boys are a girlie’s playtoys,” she didn’t really have a chance to show the true extent of her ample talents.  And speaking of ample talent, Thomas Brower, last seen as “Lumiere” in Hale’s Beauty and the Beast, demonstrates his as a hysterically funny, anxiety-riddled waiter in one pivotal scene – his “A Romantic Atmosphere” is another highlight of the show.

She Loves Medemonstrates that an audience can truly be entertained, and indeed delighted, with just the basics – a well-written story, solid music and good acting.  After all, while  a showy garnish is wonderful, you can’t have a satisfying meal without the actual meat and potatoes.

It is safe to say that audiences will leave She Loves Me smiling – and sated.

She Loves Me runs Thursday – Saturday through October 10, 2009.