A Heartfelt Play About Love, Loss, and Letter Writing
A comedy in Three Acts
By Miklos Laszlo
Adapted by E.P. Dowdall
From the English Translation by Florence Laszlo of the Hungarian play Illatszertar
Parfumerie is the story of a small shop in Budapest, Hungary and the complexity of the employees’ relationships that suddenly comes to a head during the Christmas season of 1938. Be prepared to laugh, cry, and cheer for each of the characters as they struggle with outside forces and each other.
CAST
Lisa Blasi
Lisa graces the Brevity stage again as the sweet and strong Amalia Balash. This is Lisa’s very first production with Brevity Troupe, and she has quickly wormed her way into the hearts of cast and crew. Lisa is a music teacher and choir director – she’s no stranger to the stage. We’re extremely grateful to have her.
Chris Redfield Guardiola
Chris Redfield Guardiola is relatively new to theatre, although he’s had the acting bug since he was in high school. After Brevity’s recent production of Dr. J & Mr. H, Chris said two things surprised him most about being in theater: He compares when a scene finally comes together to winning a game and it’s what makes this worth it to him.
Chris Jordan
Chris is Brevity Troupe’s resident techie and typecast loverboy. Last summer’s production of A School for Scandal was his introduction to us, and he’s back this year, this time playing Mr. Horvath – fiercely loyal shop employee.
Kyle Blomquist
Kyle is another Brevity regular – having played in or directed nearly every production we’ve offered since the beginning. Extremely talented, Kyle can play almost any role you throw at him, and this play allows his boyish charm to come out in full force. Kyle also worked as the set manager for this production
Benjamin Spear
Benjamin Spear joins the cast in his first play since School for Scandal, taking up the role of Mr. Sips, old cohort and employee of Mr Hammerschmidt. This role is a challenge for Ben, who is highly athletic, to tone down his physicality to embody a more elderly persona. He has proved himself completely up to the task.
Colleen Clauss
Colleen was in Brevity’s first show and never strayed far, either acting in or directing nearly every Brevity production since. Colleen is a senior in high school and her favorite thing about Brevity is the relationships built between cast members. She loves how Brevity is a family and how close all the cast members become during rehearsals.
Ian Pardo & Megan Eaton
Ian & Megan are both Brevity old-timers, having been with us since our very first play, Much Ado About Nothing (three years ago). While it’s Megan’s first time directing, she has a wide understanding of the theater process – acting, costume designing, makeup artistry, and properties production. Ian directed Brevity’s production of Cyrano in 2016, and currently serves as Brevity’s Director of House/Logistics. This dream team has been working around the clock for the past three months, and are incredibly proud of their cast and their team.
From the Directors
“The time is 1938. The location; Budapest, Hungary, . A tale of lost love, affairs, discord between co-workers, budding romance, hot tempers, moments of despair, and the ultimate triumph of genuine love. Please keep in mind the time frame and how at the time of this production, Hungary had already begun to mimic the policies being enacted by Adolf Hitler in Germany. Let this information shed some light on the story and some of its nuances.
It is our greatest joy to be performing a play that has influenced so many famous movies and musicals such as The Shop Around the Corner (1940) with Jimmy Stewart, You’ve Got Mail (1998) with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, and the Broadway musical, She Loves Me. Miklos Laszlo’s Illatszertar (Parfumerie) was first produced back in 1937 and was produced in 20 different countries before 1957.
We hope you find yourself drawn into the shop and the secrets and drama it holds. Prepare to laugh, cry, cheer, boo, and join the the sorrows and triumphs of the employees of Hammerschmidt’s Parfumerie.
– Ian & Megan
SPECIAL THANKS
Special thanks to the Field family for the use of their property, and to our House Manager Ricky Manning and all his volunteers. Thanks to Valerie Pardo for the amazing concessions, to Katherine Ramsey and Lauren Cooney – our costume designers. We’d also like to thank our makeup team (Liz Emery, Taylor Johnson, Melody Spear), our photographer (Issac Glandon), and our Props Master (Callen Gist). Special thanks to Afton Pardo (Stage Manager) and Thayne Wade (Tech Director), as well as our director’s aide, Lindsay Mostrom.
And a very special thanks to the incredible ladies that kept our cast fed this week.
