Wayne Bryan

For the fourth consecutive year, Wayne Bryan of Music Theatre of Wichita will direct a Wichita State University musical theater offering.

Bryan will partner with the WSU School of Performing Arts to present the musical "She Loves Me" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29-Friday, Nov. 30, and at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, in Wilner Auditorium on the WSU campus.

Tickets are $16, with discounts and group rates available, through the College of Fine Arts Box Office at (316) 978-3233 or wichita.edu/fineartsboxoffice.

WSU assistant professor Amy Baker Schwiethale will work as Bryan's co-director and choreographer to bring "She Loves Me" to life on stage.

"She Loves Me," with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and a book by Joe Masteroff, is based on Miklos Laszio's play "Parfumerie." Laszio's play, in turn, inspired the movies "The Shop Around the Corner" and, more recently, "You've Got Mail."

It's a warm, romantic musical set in the 1930s as two feuding clerks in a European parfumerie secretly find solace in their anonymous pen pals not realizing they're actually writing each other. This endearing show with old world elegance and nostalgia remains as univeral and relevant as ever in this age of Internet romance. It's also a perfect seasonal favorite as the musical ends with a scene during the Christmas season.

Linda Starkey is doing musical preparation; Philip Taylor will conduct. Costumes are by Rebecca Maholland; set by David Neville; lighting by Jonathan Standridge. Stage manager is Isaac Unruh.

Leading the cast are Ross McCorkell as "Georg," Claire Gerig as "Amalia," Aaron Craven as "Kodaly," Emily Pirtle as "Ilona," Luke Walker as "Sipos," Casey Bagnall as "Arpad" and Caleb Coffman as "Mr. Maraczek."

Included in the ensemble are Michael Allen, Joe Consiglio, Melissa Ford, Anthony Gasbarre, Megan Gill, Rachel Gorman, Gavin Myers, Scott Salem, Brandon Smith, Katelyn Stoss, Ian Sutton, Emily Vargo and Alex Wells.