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Culture Theatre

Parfumerie

PARFUMERIE by Miklos Laszlo (Soulpepper). At the Young Centre for the Performing Arts (55 Mill). To December 31. $28-$65, 416-866-8666. See listing. Rating: NNNN

If you want some alternative Christmas theatre fare, check out Soulpepper’s delightful revival of Parfumerie, a heart-warming Old World romantic comedy set in a cosmetics boutique in 1930s Budapest during the holiday rush.

The affectionate love story, written by Hungarian Miklos Laszlo in 1937 and adapted here by Brenda Robins and Adam Pettle, focuses on a number of strained relationships between the stressed-out employees. The aging boss, Mr. Hammerschmidt (Joseph Ziegler), believes one of his salesmen is having an affair with his wife. At the same time, staff members George (Oliver Dennis) and Rosie (Patricia Fagan) just can’t get along, despite the fact that they’ve unknowingly fallen in love via a series of anonymous letters.

If this plot sounds familiar, it’s because Laszlo’s play served as the basis for the Broadway musical She Loves Me and the Tom Hanks vehicle You’ve Got Mail.

Reprising its 2010 Dora Award-winning production, Soulpepper again does right by this Christmas chestnut. The cast is solid all around, and director Morris Panych creates a nostalgic air of old-time hustle and bustle with mobs of shoppers and workers racing back and forth, all accompanied by rings from an antique cash register.

Ken MacDonald’s realistic set is centred around the shop’s (working) revolving door, which Panych uses for some great comic moments. While the action generally stays within the shop walls, the snowy, lamp-lit street is visible through the shop windows – a lovely touch.

Read a feature interview with Parfumerie actor Maev Beaty here.

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