"I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" - Theatre Of Northeastern Connecticut, Inc. at the Bradley Playhouse (Putnam, CT.) - REVIEW
(Cover Photo: The CAST of the musical "I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE" now playing at the Bradley Playhouse in Putnam, CT. through May 19, 2024. Photo Courtesy Theatre Of Northeastern Connecticut)
By Kevin T. Baldwin
METRMAG Reviewer
# 774-242-6724
“Okay, how ‘bout this: We get married, you vow your eternal love for me, I expel a bunch of miniature humans who are totally dependent on us for eighteen years, you get a job, stay home weekends, and you never see another woman naked for the rest of your life.”
- ("Woman") / Joe DiPietro
Theatre Of Northeastern Connecticut, Inc.
at the Bradley Playhouse
Presents the Musical
"I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE"
Everything you have ever secretly thought about dating, romance, marriage, lovers, husbands, wives and in-laws, but were afraid to admit.
Book and Lyrics by Joe DiPietro
Music by Jimmy Roberts
Orchestrations by Doug Katsaros
Co-Directors Kathleen Atwood and Carl R. Mercier
Music Direction by E. Justin Simone
Choreographed by Kat MacInnes
Stage Managed by Natalie Crino
Cast Includes: Josh Raymond as "Man 1," Preston Arnold as "Man 2," Heather Crabbe as "Woman 1," Paula Guilbault as "Woman 2"
Additional Creative Team:
Assistant Stage Manager - David Abbamonte; Artistic Committee Liaison - Sarah Oschmann; Production Manager - Jeanne Foley; Production Coordinator - Kathleen Atwood; Set Design - Carl R. Mercier; Costumes - Paisley Gothreau, Maegan Kelley, Cast; Props Masters - Melinda Collelo, Bonnie Theriault, Kathleen Atwood; Light Designer - Carl R. Mercier; Light Operator - David Abbamonte; Sound Designer - Carl R. Mercier; Sound Operator - Spencer LaBell; Stage Crew - Roy Simmons; Set Construction - Carl R. Mercier, David Abbamonte, Jordan Miller, Nora Miller, Roy Simmons; Photography - Lindsay Lehmann; Business Manager - Kristi-Lyn Sadosky; Marketing Coordinator - Kendra Malizia; Volunteer Coordinator - Cindy Beckman.
Performances:
May 10, 2024 through May 19, 2024
(Contact Box Office for Exact Times)
THE BRADLEY PLAYHOUSE, 30 Front Street (Route 44) in Putnam, CT.
TICKETS:
All seats reserved. Reservations may be made with a major credit card online at www.thebradleyplayhouse.org or by calling 860-928-7887.
COVID 19 PROTOCOLS
Contact Venue for Most Updated COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Information.
Just in time for Mother's Day weekend, the Theatre Of Northeastern Connecticut, Inc. (TNECT) presents the humorous musical odyssey, “I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE,” vowing to bring much joy to Bradley Playhouse audiences and succeeds.
TNECT co-directors Kathleen Atwood and Carl R. Mercier with choreography by Kat MacInnes have collaborated on staging a fine production.
As the show’s title may indicate, this musical comedy is jam packed with music and vignettes replete with truths about life, love, dating, marriage, parenthood and other relationships.
The script has been updated to showcase more contemporary lives and multiple kinds of adult relationships.
More impressive than the updated book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro and music by Jimmy Roberts (featuring orchestrations by Doug Katsaros) is the execution by the TNECT ensemble.
(Photo: The CAST of the musical "I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE" now playing at the Bradley Playhouse in Putnam, CT. through May 19, 2024. Photo Courtesy Theatre Of Northeastern Connecticut)
Every cast member brings the goods to the material.
The four-person TNECT cast consists of Josh Raymond as "Man 1," Preston Arnold as "Man 2," Heather Crabbe as "Woman 1," Paula Guilbault as “Woman 2.”
The two-level single set is kept simple, using a red and black platform with stairs leading up to two large hearts "intersecting" (consensually, it is assumed) at the top level.
Additional set pieces included four chairs, four coatracks, a couple of cubes and two benches. The cast were responsible for all fluidly executed set changes in between vignettes.
The strong quartet of actors is supported by an equally strong quartet of musicians led by music director E. Justin Simone.
The original musical production of “I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE” premiered Off-Broadway in 1996 and closed in 2008 after 5,003 performances, becoming the second-longest running Off-Broadway musical.
Proving a universal appeal, this show has been translated into at least 17 languages including: Hebrew, Spanish, Dutch, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Portuguese, German, Mandarin, Polish, French, Turkish, Romanian and more.
The musical would also be nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award as Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical in 1997.
More current events and technological advances since the '97-'08 production era are well accounted for in this latest revision of the script.
(Photo: The driven CAST of the musical "I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE" now playing at the Bradley Playhouse in Putnam, CT. through May 19, 2024. Photo Courtesy Theatre Of Northeastern Connecticut)
There is an "arc" to the musical which begins with a "Prologue" and a slight nod to Genesis (the book...not the group) speaking of the first man and woman.
Musically, we move into the wonderful world of dating with the foursome who share in the execution of the songs, "Cantata for a First Date," "A Stud and a Babe," "Single Man Drought," "Why? Because I'm a Guy," "Tear Jerk," "I Will Be Loved Tonight" and "Hey There Single Gal/Guy."
The focus soon becomes squarely on relationships themselves, especially when discussing the highly improper use of communicating via text in "A Picture of His..."
Then there is the actual blessed union of man and woman as conveyed in the Act One closer, "Wedding Vows" and the Act Two opener, "Always a Bridesmaid."
The fabulous foursome at TNECT moves from showing us the joys of marriage to the joys of reproduction in the songs, "Marriage Tango" and "On the Highway of Love."
Interestingly, this transitions to the wonderful world of estrangement in long term relationships in the songs, "Waiting Trio" and "Shouldn't I Be Less in Love with You."
The two above songs are distinctive from the others because they are more subdued and melancholy in essence compared to much of the libretto which is done strictly for laughs.
Photo: The CAST of "I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE" at the Bradley Playhouse in Putnam, CT. through May 19, 2024. Top row: Josh Raymond and Heather Crabbe. Bottom row: Preston Arnold and Paula Guilbault. Photo Courtesy Theatre Of Northeastern Connecticut)
Music supervision by E. Justin Simone elevates the entire TNECT production.
The quartet blend well together but there were a couple of pitchy moments, particularly in the harmonies in the opening and closing numbers.
Each of the cast is given multiple moments to shine not only musically but in the various sketches.
Paula Guilbault performs a skillfully acted vignette entitled “The Dating Video of Rose Ritz” playing a recently divorced woman having to struggle with the making of her first matchmaking video. A definite high point of the production.
A "Scared Straight" sketch involving struggling singles seeking advice from a lifer at a prison showcased the versatile comedic strengths of actor Preston Arnold.
Heather Crabbe is hilarious as a forever bridesmaid attending yet another "Wedding."
Finally, before musically ending the show where it began, we see an elderly couple, played by Crabbe and the consistently funny Josh Raymond, meeting for the first time at a funeral parlor in the charming, “I Can Live with That.”
"I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE" continues at the Bradley Playhouse in Putnam, CT. through May 19, 2024 and the TNECT performers, musicians and the production itself show how the odyssey that is life, relationships and love is a journey well worth taking.
Coming up next at the Theatre Of Northeastern Connecticut, Inc. at the Bradley Playhouse will be the hysterical musical, "SOMETHING ROTTEN" by John O'Connell with Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick beginning July 26th, 2024.
For tickets or more information, check out The Bradley Playhouse by visiting them online at www.thebradleyplayhouse.org or by calling them at # 860-928-7887.
Approximately two hours, 10 minutes with one intermission.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE SHOW
Everything you have ever secretly thought about dating, romance, marriage, lovers, husbands, wives and in-laws, but were afraid to admit.
The longest running off-Broadway revue in history has been revised for the 21st century!
This celebration of the mating game takes on the truths and myths behind that contemporary conundrum known as “the relationship.”
Through sketches and songs, Act I explores the journey from dating and waiting to love and marriage, while Act II reveals the agonies and triumphs of in-laws and newborns, trips in the family car and pick-up techniques of the geriatric set.
This hilarious revue pays tribute to those who have loved and lost, to those who have fallen on their face at the portal of romance, to those who have dared to ask, “Say, what are you doing Saturday night?”
This 2018 version features two new songs, revised lyrics and dialogue throughout the show to reflect dating in modern times.
ABOUT THE BRADLEY PLAYHOUSE
THE BRADLEY PLAYHOUSE is a 117 year-old vaudeville theatre in the heart of the Putnam antiques and restaurant district in the “Quiet Corner” of Northeastern Connecticut. Since 1991, THE BRADLEY PLAYHOUSE has been managed by the volunteers of The Theatre of Northeastern Connecticut, Inc. (TNECT).
ABOUT THEATRE OF NORTHEASTERN CONNECTICUT (TNECT)
TNECT produces eight main season shows per year and a number of special fundraising events for The Bradley Playhouse Restoration Fund. TNECT’s mission is to produce and sponsor quality theatre and entertainment for the residents of Northeastern Connecticut and the surrounding areas, to encourage the development of creativity through the support of local artists, and to support education and hands-on experience in the creation, direction, and production of theatre and the performing arts.
30 Front Street
P.O. Box 71
Putnam, CT 06260-1942
