Tom McGowan to replace Michael McGrath in She Loves Me

It has been reported that Tony nominee Tom McGowan will take over the role of Sipos in the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of She Loves Me on 10 May 2016 at Broadway's Studio 54. He replaces Michael McGrath, who will play his final performance in the role on 8 May 2016 and depart the production due to personal reasons.

Tom McGowan earned a Tony nomination for his Broadway debut in 1991 as Valere in 'La Bête.' His other Broadway credits include 'Casa Valentina,' 'Wicked,' 'Ivanov,' and 'Chicago.' Off-Broadway credits include 'The Winter's Tale' and 'Coriolanus' at the Public Theater and 'The Food Chain' at the Westside Theatre.

The cast of She Loves Me currently includes Tony winner Laura Benanti (Amalia), Zachary Levi (Georg), Tony & Olivier winner Jane Krakowski (Ilona), Olivier winner Gavin Creel (Kodaly), Tony nominee Michael McGrath (Sipos), Tony winner René Auberjonois (Maraczek), Nicholas Barasch (Arpad), Peter Bartlett (Head Waiter), along with Cameron Adams, Alison Cimmet, Justin Bowen, Preston Truman Boyd, Benjamin Eakeley, Sara Edwards, Michael Fatica, Gina Ferrall, Jenifer Foote, Andrew Kober, Laura Shoop and Jim Walton.

She Loves Me began previews on 19 February 2016, before an official opening on 17 March 2016. The revival's limited engagement was originally scheduled through to 5 June, but has since been extended through to 10 July 2016.

She Loves Me, directed by Scott Ellis, features a book by Joe Masteroff, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and music by Jerry Bock. The score features classics such as "Vanilla Ice Cream," "A Romantic Atmosphere," "Dear Friend" and "She Loves Me."

Synopsis: "She Loves Me is a heart-warming musical comedy classic about finding love the good old-fashioned way. It follows Georg (Radnor) and Amalia (Benanti), two parfumerie clerks who aren't quite the best of friends. Constantly bumping heads while on the job, the sparring coworkers can't seem to find common ground. But little do they know, the anonymous romantic pen pals they have both been falling for happen to be each other! Will love continue to blossom once their identities are finally revealed?"

She Loves Me features choreography by Warren Carlyle, musical direction by Paul Gemignani, set design by David Rockwell, costume design by Jeff Mahshie, lighting design by Don Holder, sound design by Jon Weston, orchestrations by Larry Hochman and dance arrangements by David Krane.

Based on a play by Miklos Laszlo, the story was the basis of the 1949 James Stewart film "The Shop Around the Corner" and the 1998 Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan film "You've Got Mail." The original 1963 Broadway production starred Barbara Cook, Daniel Massey and Jack Cassidy and ran 301 performances.

Performed to celebrate the Roundabout's 50th anniversary, the company also revived the last Broadway outing in 1993.

- by Tom Millward