I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change
Our Inaugural Production
I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change is a musical revue that examines relationships between men and women in a series of hilarious songs and scenes that take us from the first date all the way through marriage and into old age. The characters are different in every scene, but they share a common goal: wanting to connect with other people.
We open the show with a god and goddess at the beginning of time, as they create Man and Woman -- and immediately try to get them to spend their lives together. We quickly transition to the current day, as two single men and two single women prepare to embark upon yet another date, hoping that this time will be different than all the others (Cantata For A First Date).
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The first act of I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change focuses on the dating game as it leads up to marriage: in "Not tonight, I'm busy, busy, busy" a man and a woman try to plan their relationship so they can skip all the worst parts of being with another person. On a date somewhere else in town, a nerdy couple dream of being able to overcome their awkwardness and seduce each other like A Stud and A Babe. |
Two women in a bar are on dates with two different -- but equally unappealing -- guys. As they tolerate small talk about golf and fuel injection, they complain that there's a serious Single Man Drought. The women eventually abandon their dates, and the two spurned men cover their bruised egos by insisting that this kind of treatment is all part of being male (Why? 'Cause I'm A Guy!) We move next to a movie theatre, where we learn that James made the mistake of letting Jane pick the flick for their date. As Jane is taken in by the tragic story on the screen, James complains about the film... but eventually gets drawn into it anyway (Tear Jerk). Elsewhere, Diane and Chuck decide on the next move in their relationship, and Diane celebrates not having to spend the night alone (I Will Be Loved Tonight). |
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Mom and Dad invite their son, Mitch, and his two-year girlfriend, Karen, over for dinner. The word on the street is that the kids are going to announce their engagement, and the parents have a big dinner planned... but Mitch and Karen drop a bomb on them. Stunned, Mom and Dad respond with Hey There, Single Guy. The parental influence is also felt at Debbie's house, where Mom and even the pizza guys break into over-the-top melodramatics just because Debbie's boyfriend actually called her (He Called Me). We close the act in the wedding chapel, as a man and woman vow to spend the rest of their lives together. Despite a sobering reality check, the couple overcome a small bout of cold feet to join their hands in marriage (Wedding Vows). |
Act Two
The wedding is over and the bride and groom are getting ready to leave for their honeymoon. Their wedding singer -- who is Always a Bridesmaid -- serenades them with stories of the many weddings she's been a part of, and the many hideous dresses she's claimed as a result.
Next we take a look at what happens to a loving couple after their first baby: Fred pays Frank and Marie a visit and discovers that his old pal has turned into a blubbering idiot (The Baby Song).
Elsewhere, Dave and Marlene are exhausted after a typical day of keeping the family running, and find themselves with some free time. The idea of being able to FINALLY have sex excites them -- but will they get the chance?
Couples with children know that the limits of human patience can be tested when the family sets out on a road trip together. On The Highway Of Love, a normally calm and collected family unit falls apart; on the road to the family relative's house, everyone's nerves get run over... repeatedly.
The Waiting Trio looks at the long spaces between activity in relationships: a woman waits in line for the washroom and wonders why men don't have this problem; a man bemoans having to wait for his wife while she shops for yet another pair of shoes; another woman doesn't understand why thirty-two seconds of football seem to last for hours. As time wears on in a marriage, husbands and wives often begin to take each other for granted as their routines become ingrained. On this morning, a husband looks back on his relationship with his wife and wonders: Shouldn't I Be Less In Love With You? Funerals are not the kinds of places one would expect to find love, but for Arthur dating is an old game for which the rules no longer matter. He remembers Muriel from several other memorial services, and decides to take today's service as an opportunity to ask Muriel if she'd like to go and get a cup of coffee. The pair end up comparing notes on how different they are, and decide that I Can Live With That. We now finish the show, having run the Relationship Gauntlet, and send the audience off with a celebration of how all of our quirks, foibles, weaknesses and bad habits are really what makes love such an exciting and addictive part of being alive: I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change |
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