Amalia Balash has been a loyal employee of Hammerschmidt’s Parfumerie. She is beloved by all her shopmates, except for one. George Horvath. The two despise each other, often fighting in their forced proximity. Behind all of the hatred, they both are in love with someone they’ve been corresponding letters with. Unknown to these rivals, they’ve been writing to each other. But the budding romance isn’t the only drama happening in the store. As the chaos unfolds throughout the shop, secrets are revealed, fights are fought, words are shouted, and gasps are heard all around.
Ms. Balash, played by Hailey Linnell, begins the story as a girl in love with a man she’s never met. She navigated through the challenges of trying to meet him while simultaneously constantly arguing with her infuriating coworker.
“I got to truly embody Amalia,” Linnell said. “She is kind, but also isn’t afraid to stand up for herself.”
Alex Zezulka portrayed the role of Mr. Horvath. His distaste for her evolves into love when he realizes she is the woman he has been confessing his innermost thoughts to. “Horvath is a shop clerk who always offers to help, but he also doesn’t get along with everyone in the shop,” Zezulka said. “He is a lover who writes letters to an anonymous person who he is deeply in love with and he loves her unconditionally.”
They fall for each other through words, eventually finding their own happily ever after.
Miklos Hammerschmidt, played by Roosevelt Wilken, is a man struggling to cope with the news of his wife’s affair. He suspects Horvath, his most loyal employee. They argue until Hammerschmidt boils over and fires him from the shop.
“Hammerschmidt is the best,” Wilken said. “He runs the shop. He is tough, but only because he is going through a lot at home.”
“He is the real main character of this story. He is on stage the most and goes through the biggest character arc,” Wilken said.
Hammerschmidt attempts suicide and is discovered by the young errand boy, Arpad, played by Maria Hubert. Arpad helps Hammerschmidt live in the shop without the other clerks knowing.
“My character was Arpad, the delivery boy, and he was probably my favorite character I’ve ever played,” Hubert said. “He was the comic relief and a 17-year old boy, so it was REALLY easy to play him because I just had to be an elevated version of myself.”
Miss Ritter, portrayed by Halle Hinton, is the flirtatious shopgirl. She has a fiance of her own but has a romance with her coworker, Mr. Steven Kadar, played by Ravi Gimeson. The two dramatically break up at the end of a work day, as Mr. Kadar has found a new romantic partner. It is not Horvath who has been sleeping with Mrs. Hammerschmidt, but Kadar.
“Kadar was a character designed to be hated by the audience, fortunately, the buffer for being a terrible person was that he was funny and charming to play in action,” Gimeson said. “His very flirty and cocky mannerisms combined with the sass and cadence of the voice given to him made for a very fun character to play despite his universal dislike by the rest of the characters.”
Kirsten Mahler brings us Miss Elizabeth Molnar, the witty sarcastic shopgirl. She thrives on gossip along with her other shopgirls. She never keeps her opinions to herself, unafraid to let the others know what she thinks. She bosses the others around frequently and brings tons of laughs with her comments. Mr. Sipos, played by Ethan Schmidt, is the old heart of the shop. He is truly liked by everyone and always provides advice to those who ask for it. As it turns out, the drama begins with Sipos after he sends a letter informing Hammerschmidt of his wife’s affair. Sipos observes the wildness that unfolds before him, providing several comedic moments that leave the audience chuckling.
In the end, most of the characters find a happy ending just as Christmas rolls around. Hammerschmidt accepts his reality and decides to go home. Sipos helped resolve the drama and had a happy Christmas with his family. Molnar remains happy with her job. Arpad gets promoted and trains the new delivery boy, Fritz. Kadar gets the ending he deserves and is fired from the shop. Ritter marries her fiance and starts a new life away from the shop. Horvath and Balash begin their happily ever after together. And it all started with a letter.
