Parfumerie

by E.P. Dowdall

This new adaptation of the play that inspired several movies is a warm, gentle comedy that follows the tangled tale of Parfumerie employee George Horvath. Just days before Christmas, George's boss fires him after mistakenly suspecting him to be the lover of his unfaithful wife. Meanwhile, George's own love life goes awry when he discovers that the stranger he has fallen in love with through a secret correspondence is none other than Amalia Balash, a co-worker with whom he constantly feuds. For the employees of the Parfumerie, only the truth can lead to a happy resolution in this old-fashioned, romantic Christmas tale.

Genres: Plays

117 pages, Unknown Binding

First published September 1, 2009

Reviews

[Valentina Markasović · Rating 3 out of 5]

still can't believe You've Got Mail was based on a Hungarian play

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story, and this is a great adaptation of it. Hilarious and very sweet.

This version, contrasted with the musical "She Loves Me", focuses more on the friendships and found family of the shop rather than only the romance between the the leads.

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

2nd Hungarian play of the month! And this one inspired one of the best rom-coms of all time, “Shop Around the Corner”. This is an adaptation because it’s impossible to get an English translation that isn’t adapted. This one at least was done by the nephew of Miklos Laszlo, the original playwright, so I’m going to guess that this is more accurate than others. I loved this play!

[Jamie Lambdin · Rating 5 out of 5]

English adaption of the basis for "The Shop Around the Corner" and "You've Got Mail," among other classics. A good old fashioned romance and a fun play.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a very nice play.

[Lauren Ingebrigtsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the musical I fear 😔

[Alexander Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I'm being a bit harsher than normal because there are so many adaptations of this play to compare it to. I am a huge fan of the movie You've Got Mail and the Broadway musical She Loves Me that I think my expectations were skewed while reading a translation of the original play that inspired them both. The plot is strong, but I wish more of the minor characters were developed and that there was more humor (which could just not translate in writing versus performance, of course). All in all, this is a decent play, and I wish I had read it with a clean slate.