I’m going to start this piece off plain and simple. The 2016 revival of “She Loves Me” should have won best revival at the 2016 Tony Awards, as well as all the other awards it was nominated for, and Gavin Creel should’ve been nominated for best featured actor. I don’t care how good “The Color Purple” probably was; “SHE LOVES ME” MAKES ME FEEL. This is a personal vendetta against the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League and their choice to not validate my current theater obsession. The fact that the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre wasn’t given to every person involved in this production is personally offensive and an outrage against me, specifically. Keep reading if you want to hear the continued angered ravings of a theater kid wronged by an action made by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League when he was six.

“She Loves Me” is a musical that premiered on Broadway in 1963 with music and lyrics by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick and a script by Joe Masteroff. Bock and Harnick are also known for their work in the show “Fiddler on the Roof”, and Masteroff is known for writing the book for Cabaret. It is based on the 1937 play “Parfumerie” by Hungarian playwright Miklós László. The following is a summary, I have included links to some of the most important songs at the points they occur, bear in mind these aren’t all the songs. It is about a perfumery in Budapest and the workers who work there. One day, Amalia Balish walks into the perfumery (called Maraczeks, after the owner) looking for a job. After successfully selling a music box for them (Song: No More Candy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLC8tMR7pqE), the owner, Mr. Maraczek, immediately hires her. One of the employees, Georg Nowack, has been exchanging letters with a woman he is pen pals with and knows only as “Dear Friend.” He is deeply in love with this woman he has never met as they have a lot in common. It is revealed that Balish also has her own “Dear Friend” and it is quickly deduced that Nowack and Balish have been sending letters to each other without ever knowing it. Tensions grow in the shop as the oblivious Nowack and Balish have been fighting, Maraczek has been getting angrier with Nowack, and two employees, Steven Kodaly and Ilona Ritter have been fighting with each other as their relationship (affair) turns sour. There are two other employees besides Nowack, Balish, Kodaly, and Ritter, them being Ladislav Sipos, an older man who is close friends with Nowack, and Arpad Laszlo the young delivery boy who wants to be seen as more. Later, Nowack tells Sipos that he and his “Dear Friend” have a date that night, but tensions between Maraczek and Nowack reach a boiling point and Nowack quits after a heated argument with Maraczek. Later that night Kodaly attempts to seduce Ritter and asks her to go on a date with him after they finish up at the store (Song: Ilona https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBOshGUIYMU). (Song: Ilona https://youtu.be/zi7b92W-zhg?si=EVc3jWMddr02efPz). However, at the last minute, Kodaly cancels these plans after finding out he can leave earlier, upsetting Ritter who resolves to never let a man hurt her like that again (Song: I Resolve https://youtu.be/TR0FKz_Jbxc?si=zLeinC7Nb_ItjZ1O). Nowack goes back to the store to grab Sipos to come with him to observe him and his “Dear Friends” date. They walk to the restaurant and the two discover that Balish is Nowack’s “Dear Friend.” Nowack sits down with Balish but doesn’t reveal his identity as her pen pal. The two argue and after a short while Nowack leaves and Balish laments about her “Dear Friend” never having come (Song: Dear Friend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjcSsiGCfZQ). Maraczek, alone at the perfumery, is told by a private investigator that his wife has been, in fact, having an affair with one of his employees. The PI reveals that the employee was Kodaly which surprises Maraczek who believed it was Nowack. Maraczek walks to his office and tries to shoot himself, but Laszlo walks into his office as he does it. At the start of Act 2, it is revealed that Maraczek survived the suicide attempt and is apologizing to Nowack for how he acted over the past months and immediately rehires him. Nowack visits a sick Balish and brings her vanilla ice cream. Nowack is very kind to her which is confusing to Balish (Song: Where’s My Shoe? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjPGNG_tBA4). Nowack spins a lie saying that her “Dear Friend” couldn’t show up and was also an old, bald, fat man. After Nowack leaves, Balish starts writing a letter to her “Dear Friend” but can’t help herself from thinking about Nowack and how her feelings towards him are becoming positive (Song: Vanilla Ice Cream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjRhvf-w8TE).  Nowack, too, has a moment where he realizes how she loves him and how that makes him very happy (Song: She Loves Me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXXCQlKFj2A&xstg=CAMSBhUDze3xHw%3D%3D). Ritter reveals to Sipos that after that night she went to the library and met a man who treated her kindly and treated her with respect. Talking about how this new man is a better person for her (Song: Trip to the Library https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhMcOvD4B5E&xstg=CAMSBhUDze3xHw%3D%3D). Nowack promptly fires Kodaly who resolves to buy the nearby perfumery and to become successful (Song: Grand Knowing You:  (Song: Grand Knowing You https://youtu.be/345x2434v4M?si=Bv6CKdcT4tV5c9Jt). Soon, Christmas comes and the shop is very busy. On the final day, Nowack helps Balish with her packages before they leave and Nowack decides to finally reveal that he is “Dear Friend” and the two embrace (Song: Finale https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6srpHoKadkg&xstg=CAMSBhUDze3xHw%3D%3D). The 2016 revival starred Zachary Levi, Laura Benanti, Gavin Creel, and Jane Krakowski. It premiered at the Studio 54 theater. It was directed by Scott Ellis and was produced by the Roundabout Theater Company.

To say the decision to not give more awards to the 2016 revival of “She Loves Me” was an outrage would be completely incorrect to everyone but myself. “The Color Purple” is a beautiful musical and the stripped-down revival is, according to many sources, still incredible. Although certainly not deserving of the best scenic design Tony (which “She Loves Me” won), it is still an inspiring revival that got Cynthia Erivo her Tony for her role as Celie. However, the excellence of that show is not the topic of this article. Instead, it is about how the 2016 revival of “She Loves Me” is the best thing that has ever happened to this country and is beyond excellence. It is a masterpiece. The orchestrations are a beautiful reworking of Jerry Bock’s music, and Sheldon Harnick’s brilliant and descriptive lyrics still rang true ten years ago as they did fifty years ago. The music on its own is worthy of universal praise, but the orchestral changes made by the revival change what was once merely brilliant into a masterwork beyond that of any of its contemporaries. There is nothing I love more than lush orchestrations; despite having only 14 musicians (20 fewer than the original production), the 2016 revival of “She Loves Me” still manages a lush orchestration one could consider a triumph. The orchestra plays above the stage and audience, which makes it so the music goes down and wraps around the audience, rather than going up and above. On top of that, the vocal tracks still held up then (and now) with beautiful melodies that only someone on the level of Jerry Bock could make. Each character is summed up not only through Sheldon Harnick’s lyrics, but also through the melodies given to the characters. The 2016 revival of “She Loves Me” packed the punch the original did and then some. It is a matter that needs no additional discussion: the 2016 production is a worthy revival of the original that kept everything that made it amazing and then some.

The revival is famous for many reasons. But one of them is the brilliant set design. When the curtain opens, we are greeted with the front of Maraczek’s perfumery. After the opening song, we see our leads go through the door, and suddenly the set starts moving, opening up like a dollhouse that stores the cast of the show. Once you see the inside of Maraczek’s, you are met with one of the warmest interior sets in Broadway history. And it simply doesn’t end there; from the restaurant set to Maraczek’s hospital room set, everything is gorgeous. In addition to that, many moments of the show take place outside of the shop, and when they do, we see the store’s beautiful exterior as well as an ever-changing (with the seasons) environment that reflects what Budapest looked like at the time. It is not difficult to see why the Tonys chose to honor them for this, specifically when they won the Tony for scenic design. However, the show was deserving of far more awards for this aspect; the costumes were simply gorgeous, too. When you reach the song “Ilona,” we see Jane Krakowski in a beautiful pink dress. Every other character, too, appears in period-accurate, gorgeous costumes that encapsulate the epitome of perfection in every aspect that not many people or shows can do. The award for costume design instead went to one of the worst shows of the 2010s, one that remains haunting us with its disgusting existence. It is one of the most worthless shows, despite the clear brilliance of the man who wrote it. Its cultural impact has been making my life a living hell. Hamilton won the Tony for costume design. I HATE “HAMILTON”. I could expound on this more, but I don’t have the time. Suffice to say, Paul Tazewell did an excellent job with “Hamilton”, but the costumes pale in comparison to those of “She Loves Me”. That is probably the most debatable thing I will say. I adore Paul Tazewell, but I think “Hamiltons” costumes are not comparable to the perfection achieved by “She Loves Me”. Also, they’re not nearly as period accurate, but that is a silly point and goes against the belief that creative choices matter as well. Either way, “She Loves Me” deserved more technical Tonys.

The performances in “She Loves Me” are one of the clear highlights. We will discuss the nomination snub of Gavin Creel in the following paragraph. This will only discuss the nominated ones. Them being Zachary Levi for Best Leading Actor, Laura Benanti for Best Leading Actress, and Jane Krakowski for Best Featured Actress. Zachary Levi lost to Leslie Odom Jr. in an admittedly good performance in a dreadful musical. However, the extent to which Zachary Levi (despite his issues as a person) is able to capture the emotions of Georg Nowack is awe-inspiring. I look at him, and I know he’s in love. He doesn’t know her name, but he loves her. His anger during the first act that was a reaction to his tension with Maraczek, was very believable; you can see why he’s angry and what is causing it even if we can’t see what was causing it directly at the time. He gets everything right to an incredible extent. Zachary Levi showed a thousand theater kids what it looks like to be in love, and what degree of glee can be experienced when you learn that love is reciprocated. Laura Benanti lost to Cynthia Erivo for her brilliant performance in “The Color Purple”; I will not be attempting to state that Erivo should not have won. Just what made Benanti’s performance incredible in its own right. Laura Benanti is Amalia Balish; she portrays the desperation of a woman in her thirties advocating for herself incredibly during a much different time than now. She shows her love in a different way than Georg; she admires him for the intelligence he shows in his letters. Benanti portrays this well, distinctly from Levi and just as well. Her performance deserves its flowers, perhaps not as much as Cynthia Erivo, but still deserving of praise. Reneé Elise Goldsberry won the Tony for Best Featured Actress during the 2016 season. Jane Krakowski was nominated for her performance as Ilona Ritter that year as well. I will say this again. I HATE “HAMILTON”. But, Goldsberry did give a great performance, so I am unfortunately once more forced to admit the choice wasn’t terrible awards-wise. However, Ilona was such a perfect role for Krakowski. She gave it her all, and she had the time of her life on stage. It was an incredible role, and she did absolutely brilliantly with it. Ilona is a fun character with 2 of the most underrated songs in the show, and it requires being hilarious but also understandable. Krakowski excels at this. All of the performances in “She Loves Me” deserved more awards recognition than it received. This is proven by the fact that the best performance wasn’t even nominated.

Gavin Creel played Steven Kodaly in “She Loves Me”. Steven Kodaly is a conniving, terrible person, and he takes a lot of glee in that. At the beginning of the show, he is having an affair with Ilona, who, midway into Act 1, begins getting annoyed with him. He attempts to seduce her again at the end of Act 1, but after choosing not to go on a date he planned with her, she resolves to break it off with him completely. It is revealed in Act 2 that Kodaly had been having an affair with the store owner, Mr. Maraczek’s wife, as well as his affair with Ilona. This affair was the cause of all of the tension in the show. It led to Ilona’s anger, to Mr. Maraczek attempting to take his own life, and to Maraczek’s tension with Georg that led to Georg quitting. Maraczek believed Georg was the one having the affair with his wife. Everything that went wrong with the show can be traced back to Kodaly having an affair with Mrs. Maraczek. Gavin Creel does a brilliant job with that; he is a beautiful singer, brilliant actor, and all of the above and more. In 2017, Gavin Creel won Best Featured Actor for the revival of “Hello Dolly.” But I staunchly believe that he deserved to be at the very least nominated for “She Loves Me.” Three people from “Hamilton” were nominated, and a “Hamilton” actor won. I would argue that at least one of those “Hamilton” guys did not deserve that nomination, and that could have been replaced with Gavin Creel. His performance deserved at least a nomination. His gorgeous singing in the songs Ilona and Grand “Knowing You” is incredible and makes my day whenever I listen to it again (and again, and again). Suffice to say, it was ridiculous to give three different “Hamilton” performances (out of five nominees) and zero nominations to “She Loves Me” (despite them having 3 equally great featured actor performances). It stings more knowing he only ever got one Tony win (and only two nominations) in his unfortunately cut-short life.

“She Loves Me” was one of the greatest and most effective Broadway revivals ever, being a piece of pure joy and happiness that is exciting from beginning to end. Your heart feels as fluttery as Georg the entire time, and the moment it ends, you wish you could spend another two hours in this world with these characters. This is an impressive feat and a beautiful musical and revival. It deserved more attention from the Tonys (as well as other awards platforms) because of this.

Lance Holwitt, Staff Writer

Junior Lance Holwitt is a staff writer, passionate about filmmaking, film editing, and pretending to be good at things he certainly is not. He hopes to use the most pointlessly long words in his articles so you have to Google the meanings of words.