The five actors who round out SHE LOVES ME’s powerhouse cast are featured as Customers visiting Maraczek’s Perfume Shop, Carolers and the staff of the Cafe Imperiale.

Stephanie Herman, a Writers’ Theatre newcomer, is playing one of the Customers.  Stephanie’s Chicago credits include Chess and Sweet and Hott: The Songs of Harold Arlen at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre,  in addition to studying and performing with the Second City in Chicago.  She is also understudying the role of Amalia.

Another Writers’ Theatre newcomer, Kelli Clevenger, will play another of the Customers, in addition to serving as the production’s Dance Captain.  Kelli’s local credits include Bailiwick Repertory Theatre’s Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victory Gardens’ Tomorrow, and the Chicago premiere of RENT. She has also been seen in numerous shows with Light Opera Works and Attic Playhouse.

Bethany Thomas makes her Writers’ Theatre debut as a Customer and Caroler.  Bethany has worked on musicals with many Chicago companies, including Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre, Porchlight Theatre (winning an After Dark Award for Nine), American Theatre Company, TimeLine Theatre, Bohemian Theatre Ensemble and Apple Tree Theatre.  She also sings with the Chicago rock band The Dirty Rooks.

Jeremy Rill plays Glencoe stages for the first time as the detective Keller and the Cafe Imperiale’s Waiter.  Jeremy has performed at many Chicago theatres, including Light Opera Works, Porchlight Music Theatre, Bailiwick Repertory Theatre (winning a Jeff Award for Jerry Springer the Opera), Theatre at the Center, Circle Theatre and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.  He will also be understudying the role of Steven Kodaly in the production.

Making his Writers’ Theatre debut as the Busboy is Andrew Goetten.  Andrew is a recent graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University where favorite credits include After the End, Holes, Macbeth, and The Three Musketeers.  He also appears as a Caroler in the production and will be understudying the role of Arpad.

She Loves Me is now playing and the production is directed by Writers’ Theatre Artistic Director Michael Halberstam.

Much of the action in She Loves Me–the effortlessly romantic musical from Joe Masteroff (book), Jerry Bock (music) and Sheldon Harnick (lyrics)–takes place within Maraczek’s, a perfume shop in 1930s Budapest.  Amalia and Georg’s co-workers have to endure the bickering

The owner of the perfume shop, Mr. Maraczek, will be played by Ross Lehman.  Ross has been seen before at Writers’ Theatre in our productions of As You Like It, The Uneasy Chair and Bach at Leipzig.  He has also appeared on Broadway in The Tempest, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, in addition to working around Chicago at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Marriott Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and Apple Tree Theatre.

Kevin Gudahl will be featured as Ladislav Sipos, a clerk in the shop and good friend to Georg.  Kevin was last seen at Writers’ playing Rev. James Morrell in the world premiere musical, A Minister’s Wife, but also played our Glencoe stages in Othello and The Doctor’s Dilemma.  He spent five seasons at the illustrious Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Canada and appeared in the films While You Were Sleeping, Home Alone III and the TV show Early Edition.   Kevin has acted at many Chicago theatres, including Chicago Shakespeare, Court Theatre, Goodman, Northlight Theatre, Marriott, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, Victory Gardens Theater and Apple Tree.

Ilona Ritter, the shop’s cashier who is luckless at love and always picks the wrong men, will be played by Heidi Kettenring.  This will be Heidi’s Writers’ theatre debut, after helping us with the original musical A Minister’s Wife at a developmental workshop.  She has appeared in Broadway in Chicago’s Wicked, in addition to work with Marriott, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Court, Chicago Shakespeare, Nortlight, Theatre at the Center and American Theatre Company.  She has also sung concerts at Ravinia Festival and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Steven Kodaly, a clerk at Maraczek’s whom Ilona has taken up with against her better judgment, will be played by James Rank.  James understudied the role of Rev. Morell in 2009′s A Minister’s Wife and took over the role for the last two weeks of performances.  He has worked at Next Theatre, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Goodman, Chicago Shakespeare, Drury Lane, Light Opera Works, Peninsula Players, Santa Fe Opera and Central City Opera.  He has also sung concerts at Ravinia and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Bernard Balbot will make his Writers’ Theatre debut as Arpad, the shop’s delivery boy with higher aspirations.  Bernard has appeared in Yeast Nation and It’s A Wonderful Life: A Radio Play at American Theatre Company, and A Christmas Carol at Drury Lane Oakbrook, in addition to appearing regionally at the Utah Shakespeare Festival and Hangar theatre.  He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and and also studied with the Moscow Art Theater School.

She Loves Me will be directed by Writers’ Theatre Artistic Director Michael Halberstam.  Performances begin September 14 at 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe.

She Loves Me, the irresistibly charming musical from Joe Masteroff (book), Jerry Bock (music) and Sheldon Harnick (lyrics), tells the delightful tale of Amalia and Georg.  These two co-workers at Maraczek’s perfume shop spend their workdays endlessly bickering with one another, while outside of work they both privately write beautiful love letters to their respective admirers–whose identities remain unknown to the two unabashed romantics.

Playing the role of Amalia will be Jessie Mueller, making her Writers’ Theatre debut.  Jessie has performed at Chicago’s biggest theatres, including the Goodman Theatre (Animal Crackers and A Christmas Carol), Court Theatre (Carousel), Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (Henry IV Parts I & II and The Three Musketeers), Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire (Fiddler on the Roof, All Shook Up and Shenandoah), and Drury Lane Oakbrook (Curtains and Meet Me in St. Louis).  She just finished a summer up at Peninsula Players in Door County, Wisconsin, appearing in both the classic Sondheim musical A Little Night Music and the comedy Over the Tavern.

Starring opposite her as Georg will be another Writers’ Theatre newcomer, Rod Thomas.  Rod has worked extensively on musicals, quite often at Drury Lane Oakbrook where he has appeared in Sugar, The Boys from Syracuse, Barefoot in the Park, Big – The Musical, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.  His musical credits also include productions at Court Theatre (Man of La Mancha), Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (Second City’s Romeo and Juliet – The Musical), Light Opera Works (Carnival) and Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire (Sunset Boulevard and Beauty and the Beast), in addition to performing with the national tour and Las Vegas production of The Lion King.

She Loves Me will be directed by Writers’ Theatre Artistic Director Michael Halberstam.  Performances begin September 14 at 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe.