Muir Musical has been the staple musical theater organization at UC San Diego since 1991, providing a space for members to share their love of the arts by putting on entirely student-run productions every year. This year, Muir Musical’s Spring show will be “She Loves Me,” its first-ever show to be directed by third-year undergrad Bluma Lezak. I had the opportunity to peek into its rehearsals over the past couple of weeks for a behind-the-scenes look at the production process before the show opens its two-night run on June 6 and 8 at Price Center Theater.
“She Loves Me” is a 1963 musical based on the Hungarian play “Parfumerie,” which also inspired the beloved rom-com “You’ve Got Mail.” The show follows the workers of Maraczek’s Parfumerie as they face various obstacles in their love lives — especially the ever-bickering coworkers Amalia and Georg, who are unaware that they are each other’s anonymous pen pals. Hijinks ensue when the pen pals plan to meet in person, making for a fun love story narrated with a captivating soundtrack. In the Muir Musical production, the accompaniment is done with a 15-person live band, made up of UCSD undergrad students.
As I watched the show’s rehearsal, I was pulled into the cast’s fantastical world of romance. Though the set was only partly furnished with chairs and merchandise props, I could imagine the greater build of the set behind the actors as they mimed entering the store and began interacting with the props. It looked as if the actors were truly prepping the shop to be open to customers. I was tickled by the repeating song and movement the workers would use to usher customers out the door, filling the shop with an animated, energetic ambience. The acting was playful and felt like I was watching some old-timey classic movie.
“It’s been a longtime dream to direct a musical,” Lezak said when we first sat down to speak before rehearsal began. We were outside of the rehearsal space and watching as her actors began to shuffle in. “Musical theater is my first and greatest love,” she added. “She Loves Me” is Lezak’s first foray into directing musicals and her excitement was clear throughout our conversation.
When choosing which show to direct, Lezak prioritized script quality and a beautiful score. When Gavin Creel — who played Georg in the show’s 2016 revival on Broadway — died last September, she rediscovered the Broadway soundtrack album. When Lezak was chosen to direct the Spring show, Lezak chose “She Loves Me,” finding joy in the love story and beauty in the golden-age of music. Frustration about the treatment of the arts throughout the country — such as national budget cuts to arts programs and content restrictions at the hands of the current administration— also fueled her choice. “She Loves Me” is an escape from this tension as well as a reminder of the importance of the arts.
“[The album] was meaningful and brought life at a time when things were hard,” Lezak said. As we spoke, she recalled how the beginning notes and upbeat lyricism of “Good Morning, Good Day” would motivate her to get out of bed in the mornings. To this day, when she listens to the soundtrack, Lezak tells me it is revitalizing, and coupled with the story’s simplicity, the magic of the show continues to strike her. “The music is gorgeous; the story is simple and profound,” she said.
Lezak cares deeply about creating a collaborative production space. Third-year Wes Jensen, who plays Georg, praised Lezak’s commitment to this value.
“Rehearsal has been wonderful; it is an open conversation instead of directing with hierarchy,” Jensen said. Jensen’s respect for his director was evident in our conversation. As an actress myself, I am a firm believer that allowing actors to voice their opinions and explore ways to imbue themselves into their characters brings a liveliness to the show. Their excitement was evident even as tech week approached — a sign that the palpable energy will translate to the final production. This liveliness runs through the heart of all of their productions, from actors to choreographers.
“She Loves Me,” like all Muir Musical productions, is choreographed by students. Second-year Samantha Lebedev and third-year Julian Pielke Santos are co-choreographers for the show; both have previously been involved in Muir Musical on stage and off. Like Lezak, they embrace collaboration, improv, and experimentation.
One of Lebedev’s favorite choreography moments in the show is during the number “Ilona.” The song characterizes Ilona, another parfumerie employee with bad luck in love, through captivating partner choreography with Steven Kodaly, her womanizer coworker and romantic counterpart. As Ilona attempts not to fall for Kodaly’s charms, the choreography creates a visually enticing push and pull. To me, this choreography symbolizes the way Ilona attempts to resist Kodaly’s seduction but ultimately relents, being dragged into dancing with him. Pielke Santos’ favorite number is “Romantic Atmosphere.” In his choreography, Santos explained that he took inspiration from older dance traditions; this particular song was influenced by Hungarian ballet.
In rehearsals, actors like Jensen aimed to strike a balance between seriousness and lightheartedness. The biggest challenge in his work was developing Georg’s physical presence on stage. Both physically and emotionally, Jensen added that he struggled with “finding moments of authenticity in the character and pursuing his goals, instead of just being funny.”
Fourth-year Ashleigh Kennealy, who plays the unlucky-in-love salesgirl Ilona, explained, “People will play [Ilona] dumb, but that isn’t true. She is sweet and sees the good in other people.” Similar to Jensen, Kennealy honed in on her character’s physicality — utilizing flowy movements like the wave of a hand or a drag of her leg to present a character who was elegant and ditzy. Both actors were able to balance their characters’ playfulness with earnestness.
The love and camaraderie between the show’s actors is evident — even to an outsider. During my time at their rehearsals, cast members spoke with excitement and passion about the talent and hard work that had gone into the show. I was giggling as soon as the show started, captivated by the quirky music and silly entrances. The actors waited on the side of the stage for their cue, joking with each other or singing along to the show. “Rehearsal developed into a community just by being with familiar faces and constant rehearsal,” Jensen said. “The heartwarming nature of the production has translated with how close the cast is, a positive experience for all to band together.”
With so much uncertainty surrounding funding and support for the arts, Lezak noted that it is more integral than ever to show up for theater.
“Student theater is so important,” she said. “It is the deepest level of community that I’ve found in college and life. It is super important to support it now with so many cuts being made and so many young people wanting to make art; it is vital.”
Through the ups and downs — from the late nights in rehearsal to the exciting performances on the horizon — Lezak and the cast and crew of “She Loves Me” are prepared to bring joy and whimsy to campus with this charming production.
“[The show] takes you to another world,” said Kennealy. “It is a beautiful, hallmark fantasy with beautiful music. I’m excited for audiences to join us in that world.”
