I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

Something there is about the musical I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change demands production, and audiences can’t get enough of it.

Front to Back, Left to Right: Chris Boeckx, Alison Mueller, Megan Van De Hey, and Seth Caikowski in I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change now showing at the Avenue Theater.

Three theatres have it on the schedule this summer. Nonesuch Theatre in Fort Collins currently runs through its paces, and The Evergreen Players open this coming weekend, July 6, and The Avenue opened last weekend with its reprisal from the highly-successful run at Littleton’s Town Hall last January-February with the original cast and the one and only Robert Wells as director.

There’s reason for its popularity. It has heart! It speaks to the human race with a warm-I-know-you’ve-been-there- and-done-that smile of recognition. It has grace. There’s no mean spirited let’s-prove-all-men-are-insensitive-and-stupid, or all women-are-shopping-not-a-brain-their-head-idiots. It identifies itself with every class and culture, from the first nip of puppy love to the loneliness of separation by death, to the knowledge that companionship continues to play a vital role in the heart of the elderly. It celebrates diversity in growth and change, and its fast-paced roller coaster ride confirms the celebration of life, love, and grace with a warm hug and smile. There isn’t a being anywhere in this entire universe that gets too much of that.

Chemistry within the four-member cast at the Avenue strikes solidly with unity of oneness. Their energy balloons throughout the small intimate theatre, spilling out into the street. It doesn’t matter how many times one has experienced this show, this production should not be missed by anyone, anywhere, anytime. That’s all you need to know to call now for reservations.

Well, there may be a couple of exceptions like the cast consists of Alison Mueller, Chris Boeckx, Megan Van De Hey, and Seth Caikowski who have taken Well’s highly developed improvisational expertise to heart (as though they had a choice, as though they would want to have a choice) incorporating alive in depth expressions taking I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change out of the starting gate for a Kentucky Derby run. Previous productions I have seen provided a Broadway polished perfect performance. This cast takes off the leash and goes for broke with perpetual emotional, physical, facial expressions changing on a dime giving back nine cents in change.

Spotlighted in monk’s robes, the cast sets the tone “In the beginning God created man” with “Cantada for a First Date.”

Covering 20 scenes and 60 plus characters, the four speeds through scene, costume changes, and character enhancement.

Michael R. Duran designed the set elements to be quickly moved into place without missing a beat. Mary June Anderson (THAC) designed the perfectly adaptable multiple costumes for the quick-change artists. Seth Alison designed the lighting to dance with the cast.

From the complications of the first date, the talented cast moves through “Not Tonight, I’m Busy, Busy, Busy” to “A Stud and a Babe,” “Men Who Talk and The Women Who Pretend To Listen.” Mueller and Van De Hey lament over the “Single Man Draught” while Boeckx and Caikowski respond with “Why? ’Cause I’m A Guy.

Highlights include 20 varied scenes. Special highlights include “Wedding Vows” and Van De Hay with her powerful animated voice lamenting a closet full of Bridesmaid dresses she hates, will never wear again relating directly to the audience with “Always A Bridesmaid.”

What happens to relationships when the baby comes and parents become overly consumed? Boeckx in character visits a long-time friend, and finds himself pinned on the sofa between the parents played by Mueller and Caikowski who find all they can do now is talk baby talk. Hysterical and sympathetic at the same time for both sides of the fence. Boeckx’ character dredges up the nerve to ask his friend “Remember when you use to be interesting?” Racing out of the house with “Call me when he graduates from college.”

Four office chairs on rollers become a car and Caikowski announces as the Father, “She calls all the shots. In my home I’m not the boss,” Ah, but the car is his castle and as soon as he slips behind the wheel with sunglasses in tact, he is king for “The Family That Drives Together.” With the hilarious song and demanding chair choreography zipping and crisscrossing around stage this is an eye-popper with Mueller playing the bossy demanding overly organized mother and Boeckx and Van De Hey following suit as the children. All of the way through the timing by the four magical artists remains stunningly on target. The timing has to be perfect or all four would fly off the stage.

In the midst of the laughter, Boeckx takes away the breath with his song “Shouldn’t I Be Less In Love With You” as a couple married for 30 years share the paper over a routine breakfast. Oblivious to his inner thoughts Van De Hey plays the wife who has sat through a skillion routine breakfasts where nothing happens.

A very much a part of the action Mary Gottlieb brings a small key board situated in upper stage center to a life it probably never knew it had with this particular score.

Mueller’s nervous experience as Rose Ritz making her very first dating video has to be a comedic classic as she explains her husband is dead. No they’re divorced. She just wants to think he’s dead finding it difficult to get away from her feelings, difficult to not talk about the divorce “after the dead husband walks out on you on your 40th Birthday.” Drained of confidence she wants to start the video again. As confidence once again fills her with life, Rose makes it clear she said exactly what she wanted to say.

The most touching scenario comes with “Funerals Are For Dating” as Caikowski and Van De Hey assume the demeanor of elderly people attending a funeral, which they do frequently even if they don’t know the deceased. She fragile, he barely able to walk, the two create stunning sympathetic characters. Both loved their spouses. Both miss them a great deal. Both discover companionship still holds magic with the song “I Can Live With That.”

I was under the false impression I had seen enough performances of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change to last a lifetime. I was wrong.