Where-To-Wednesday - She Loves Me and Do Re Mi

We were given free tickets to She Loves Me for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: She Loves Me

Where: Studio 54

             254 W. 54th St.

             New York, New York

When: Now through June 12, 2016

Who: Recommended for ages 13 and above

Mom's view: She Loves Me is a gentle little musical. There is no huge chorus. There are no over the top production numbers. It is just a quiet little romance. However, this quiet little romance packs a powerful punch with its talented cast led by Laura Benanti, best known for TV shows like Supergirl and Nashville as well as The Sound of Music Live, and Zachary Levi, best known for the TV show, Chuck.  The songs are sweet although not necessarily especially memorable. The story is tender and romantic. The plot revolves around a pair of co-workers who hate each other but don't realize they are actually each other's secret romantic pen pals. Although, this is a story that has been done many times before, that doesn't take away from the enjoyment of this version. In fact, although the most well-known version is probably the 1998 movie You've Got Mail, She Loves Me actually predates that one as it was originally presented in 1963. Both She Loves Me and You've Got Mail were actually based on a play by Miklos Laszlo called Parfumerie. There were also several other earlier movie versions of the story. Although, the show is recommended for ages 13 and up, there is nothing really objectionable about the story except plot points involving a character having an affair with another character who is married (nothing is shown, however, it is only talked about) and the sound of a gunshot and the implication that a character is going to commit suicide (although this turns out not to be the case). However, these references would probably go over the head of some younger viewers except that they would, of course, hear the noise of the gunshot. I  would not recommend the show for very young children anyway as it would probably bore them. Tweens and teens who love romance and especially those that love old musicals would probably enjoy it. For more information go to http://www.roundabouttheatre.org/Shows-Events/She-Loves-Me.aspxto . To order tickets go to http://www.roundabouttheatre.org/tickets/reserve.aspx?pid=20842.

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We were given free tickets to Do Re Mi for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Do Re Mi

Where: The Lion Theatre

             410 W. 42nd St.

             New York, NY

When: Now through April 3, 2016

Who: Recommended for ages 13 and above.

Mom's view: Do Re Mi is an old musical that ran for about a year in 1960. The plot is slight and most likely the only reason the show ran as long as it did was because of the presence of its two stars Phil Silvers and Nancy Walker. The show does have some nice songs, however, including the classic Make Someone Happy. Musicals Tonight's version of the show currently running at The Lion Theatre is lively and energetic.  The cast is led by Patrick John Moran  as Hubie and Laura Daniel as Kay who wisely choose to put their own spin on the roles instead of attempting to be a carbon copy of the original stars. Their versions of the characters gives them a softer sweeter edge which enhances the romantic aspect of the story. The secondary story of the love at first sight romance of singer Tilda Mullen and John Henry Wheeler is even more romantic.  Beth DeMichele as Tilda has a pretty voice and brings a sweet wide-eyed innocence to her role and Tyler Milliron does an admirable job with a role that doesn't seem to be as fully developed as some of the other roles in the show. The show is definitely worth seeing for the sake of nostalgia. As always, we applaud any effort to give people the opportunity to see old long gone musicals presented on the stage once more. There is nothing in the show that is particularly objectionable for children except for some fighting although I am sure most children have seen much worse in any PG movie as there isn't even any bloodshed in this show. However, I don't think kids would have much interest in the story except for tweens and teens who love romance. For more information go to http://www.musicalstonight.org/. To order tickets go to https://www.telecharge.com/Off-Broadway/Do-Re-Mi/Overview.

And that's Mom's view.

Tune in to tomorrow's Talking Topics post for more about Do Re Mi.

Photo credits: All She Loves Me photos by Joan Marcus.
                         All Do Re Mi production photos supplied by Musicals Tonight