Dear friend, you must see ‘She Loves Me’
Published 1:25 pm Thursday, February 19, 2026
From the 1937 Hungarian play to a 1940 James Stewart/Margaret Sullivan film to 1998’s “You’ve Got Mail,” we finally come to the musical “She Loves Me,” a story of unknown-lovers-to-known-enemies-to-ultimate-lovers set in the 1930s, where two perfumery clerks clash at work and grow to hate each other, not realizing that the other is the anonymous pen pal that they have been falling for.
This romantic musical, with fun humor and a surprise operatic ascent, had its opening night on Feb. 13 at the Renton Civic Theatre in downtown Renton. With a talented cast, distinct costuming and a lively ensemble, “She Loves Me” is a delight, just right for a feel of fluttering hearts and comical misunderstandings.
The musical stars Georg Nowack (RCT alum Casey Raiha) and Amalia Balash (Ksenia Popova) as the romantic leads, with both actors bringing electrifying, elevating performances that make their seething disgust and simultaneous adoration for each other a joy to watch.
The two start out as part of a lonely-hearts correspondence, where they do not share their real names or details of their lives in letter exchanges, but their deepest feelings and inner worlds. As seasons change, and the two are set to finally meet each other in person around Christmas time, Georg and Amalia continue to bicker and butt heads at Maraczek’s Parfumerie (owned by Mr. Maraczek, played by RCT alum Eric Hartley), where the majority of the musical is set (with an impressive revolving stage set showing the inside and outside of the quaint shop).
While the leads purport to hate each other, their co-workers — trusty Ladislov Sipos (Jed Slaughter), lovelorn Ilona Ritter (Emma Hanson), womanizer Steven Kodaly (RCT alum Mauro Bozzo) and earnest delivery boy Arpad Laszlo (Clara Jordan) — can see that their squabbling hides a real passion for each other. Throughout the show, we see these workplace relationships, where Ilona breaks off an affair with Mr. Kodaly, or Georg confides in Ladislav his letters from his “Dear Friend,” showing that, despite being a romance, the musical is also a workplace dramedy.
Everything comes to a head when, on the night of the romantic first meeting, Georg quits his job over Mr. Maraczek’s misplaced mistreatment of him and learns that his “Dear Friend” is in fact Miss Amalia, as he finds her sitting in the agreed-upon café and reading “Anna Karenina” with a single rose as a bookmark. Following an exciting, sexy dance number featuring the ensemble, with includes Patrick Flores, Collin Polasky, Carrie Sleeper-Bowers, Riley Stowell, Ali Nichole Thompson, Lisa Wright and assistant choreographer Stefanie Meifang Van Rafelghem, Georg makes his move.
He is upset and flabbergasted, but he does not reveal himself to Amalia, instead choosing to crash her table and mock her as she sits alone. So what turns this disastrous confrontation into a happily-ever-after? It seems vanilla ice cream, vulnerability and being kind to a co-worker goes a long way with this sweet, lovey-dovey romantic comedy.
Directed and choreographed by Christopher Nardine with musical director Lindsay Delmarter, this musical is a Valentinian must-see, with a polished cast, charming songs and the insane operatic abilities of Amalia’s Popova, who has made a name for herself as a Pacific Northwest soprano. Despite small technical difficulties and clunky scene transitions that are likely to disappear following opening night (a notorious night where the bugs still need to be worked out for any live musical), the RCT gives another show-stopping show, which runs until March 1.
The Renton Civic Theatre is located at 507 South 3rd Street in Renton. To buy tickets to “She Loves Me,” visit rentoncivictheatre.org or call 425-226-5529.
Be on the look out for more 2026 shows like “Steel Magnolias” April 10-26; “Footloose” June 5-21; “Noises Off” Oct. 2-18; “Scrooge!” Dec. 4-20.
