From the opening number, "Good Morning, Good Day" with a veteran Musical Theatre Guild cast including Phil Ball, Kelly Benner, Brookes Decker, Chris Horsman and David Halin, it was clear the audience was in for a treat.

"She Loves Me" opened Friday night at the Succop Theatre to an undersold house but enthusiastic audience.

The spirited opening gave way to a wonderful scene in the perfumery with a chorus of shoppers capably played and sung by Davlin Hupp, Robin Kriley and Joyce Hamilton, which culminated in a delicious verbal volley and an acappella trio in perfect harmony, and this was only the first scene.

Don't get me wrong, this is a schmaltzy musical, heavy on the schmaltz with songs about ice cream and a trip to the library among more emotional commentary on the days of youth and searching for and defining love.

It is the tale of a correspondence love affair between unsuspecting co-workers, the stuff of the movie, "You've Got Mail" only with more singing.

Brookes Decker played Georg Nowack and his correspondent partner was Darcie Bell playing Amalia Balash.

The duo had excellent chemistry in each scene, whether they were loving or hating each other. Decker, as always, rises to the top with his performances but really showed his comedic side in the fast paced, "Tonight at Eight," where he in a frenetic fashion told of his rendezvous with his mysterious pen pal.

Bell, whose voice is simply beautiful, also carried herself well in and out of comedic songs and the ballad about ice cream in the second act where she took it up a notch or two and showed she could hit the high notes.

The costumes were lovely and the choruses harmonic. The sets were practical, but it was what happened in front of the sets that delighted the audience.

Phil Ball was hysterical in his over the top performance of Steven Kodaly, a suave clerk with no limitations of what he thought of himself and women. He swooned and crooned but really crowed in his farewell, "Grand Knowing You" bringing laughs and guffaws from the audience throughout his grand exit.

Kelly Benner played Ilona Ritter, the woman scorned by Kodaly. She was easily swayed by Kodaly's smooth ways - until she had a trip to the library.

Benner, who is an excellent vocalist, did well in this role, which did little though to showcase her real vocal ability.

The consistent Dean Weiland offered up another great performance with his role of Mr. Maraczek, the owner of the perfumery. He went with believable ease from being a jovial boss to being a melancholy man contemplating the value of his life.

Showcasing his vocals somewhat in the comical "Perspective" was actor David Halin, who played the nonconfrontational Ladislav Sipos, a happy-go-lucky clerk and confidant of the love struck Georg. Halin has a fantastic voice but it was his comedic skills that were in demand in this role.

The writing in this play is quirky and funny - not too many folks sing about meeting an optometrist.

"She Loves Me" is an entertaining, delightful, witty comedy perfectly cast by director Bob Dandoy. It is a fun way to spend an evening.