2007年VOA标准英语-Musical ‘She Loves Me’ Still Touching Hearts

By Cheng Xiaohong
Washington, DC
30 January 2007
 
watch She Loves Me report

 
A heart-warming love story set in Budapest during the 1930s was recently staged at Arena¹ Stage in Washington D.C.  Elaine Lu takes a look at the musical "She Loves Me."

The plot of the musical "She Loves Me" involves a handsome young salesman named Georg who was the star of the small cosmetics² shop where he worked.  Kevin Kraft plays Georg.

 

 
Kevin Kraft plays Georg
"Georg is an early 30s bachelor in Hungary. And it's very unusual at that time to be a bachelor at 30. It's 1937, around there. And he is looking for love," explains Kraft.

Amalia, a new hire, threatened Georg's status at the store.  During her first day at work, Amalia persuaded a customer to buy one of the new musical cigarette boxes.  It started a competitive and mutually despising relationship between Georg and Amalia.  

 
Brynn O'Malley plays Amalia
Brynn O'Malley plays Amalia. "She's a big book worm. She's an intellectual. In the 1930s, it wasn't really not like today; it's encouraged for a young woman to be educated and well read, intellectual. So it kind of isolated³ her. She's very alone. She doesn't have a boyfriend. She doesn't have many friends. She's close to her mother. That's about it."

Outside of work, both Georg and Amalia are engrossed⁴ with their secret pen pals⁵.  Little did they know the person they were so in love with on paper turned out to be the person they most despised in life -- each other.

The musical is an adaptation of a play by Hungarian playwright⁶ Miklos Lazslo, with music and lyrics⁷ by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, who later had even greater success with Fiddler on the Roof.  The original musical opened on Broadway in the 1960s.  Arena Stage brought the charming musical to Washington D.C. with its uniquely designed set and costumes, and performers selected from all over the U.S.

"She Loves Me" later inspired the popular romantic comedy film "You've Got Mail."   Nancy Lemenager, who plays the saleswoman Ritta in the musical, says the play's simple message gives the show its lasting⁸ appeal.

"Because it's about love, I think. If you look at great songs, great novels, great movies, great musicals, they are always written about love as the base of it. The reason things keep getting written with that subject is because people relate to it. "

As the rosy⁹ colored set suggests, this show has a happy ending.  Georg and Amalia finally fall in love with each other.

1 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

2 cosmetics   

n.化妆品

参考例句：

• We sell a wide range of cosmetics at a very reasonable price. 我们以公道的价格出售各种化妆品。
• Cosmetics do not always cover up the deficiencies of nature. 化妆品未能掩饰天生的缺陷。

3 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

4 engrossed   

adj.全神贯注的

参考例句：

• The student is engrossed in his book.这名学生正在专心致志地看书。
• No one had ever been quite so engrossed in an evening paper.没人会对一份晚报如此全神贯注。

5 pals   

n.朋友( pal的名词复数 )；老兄；小子；（对男子的不友好的称呼）家伙

参考例句：

• We've been pals for years. 我们是多年的哥们儿了。
• CD 8 positive cells remarkably increased in PALS and RP(P CD8+细胞在再生脾PALS和RP内均明显增加(P 来自互联网

6 playwright   

n.剧作家，编写剧本的人

参考例句：

• Gwyn Thomas was a famous playwright.格温·托马斯是著名的剧作家。
• The playwright was slaughtered by the press.这位剧作家受到新闻界的无情批判。

7 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

8 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

9 rosy   

adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的

参考例句：

• She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作，生活看上去很美好。
• She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。