THEATRE REVIEW
"I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change"
BY NANCY _STETSON Florida Weekly Correspondent

COURTESY PHOTO I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change through Sept. 29

Love contains many paradoxes, including the one expressed by the humorous title of the musical now playing at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre: "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change."

There's something about our perverse human nature that causes us to fall in love with someone because of who they are, then tries to change them.

This popular show - the longest-running Off-Broadway musical - has been making its rounds in the area. It's played at least twice before at the now-defunct Naples Dinner Theatre and is scheduled to play this fall at the Sugden Community Theatre in Naples (Oct. 10 - Nov. 3). Right now it's playing at the Broadway Palm through Sept. 29 - an opportunity for theater-lovers to see two different productions of the same show almost back-to-back to compare.

The musical, written by playwright/lyricist Joe DiPietro and composer Jimmy Roberts, is a series of vignettes highlighting various aspects of love: torturous first dates, breaking up and dealing with disappointed parents, getting married, having children, finding love during one's twilight years.

The material's uneven; a vignette featuring a convict who scares singles straight into marrying didn't go over well and ran on too long. And sometimes the material seems a little too predictable, even if you've never seen the musical before. But at times it was that very predictability that made the audience laugh with recognition. In "Waiting Trio," a wife waiting for halftime ("Is that 32 football seconds to go, or 32 real-life seconds?") garnered laughs from the football widows and football fans in the audience. They also laughed in recognition at an exasperated husband, loaded down with shopping bags, waiting for his wife to finish shopping.

But it was a totally unexpected comment from a character that caused the most gleeful laughs of the evening: a newly divorced woman lamenting that her husband left her ...for an older woman who wears a size 18 and has grandkids.

This is a musical that appeals equally to both sexes. Men shouldn't be scared they'll have to sit through two hours of femaleflavored material about "relationships" and "sharing." Their point of view is equally presented in the struggle to figure out the opposite sex.

The songs are upbeat and come in various genres: country, calypso, gospel, 50's doowop. There's even a humorous "Prologue" that sounds like a Gregorian chant.

Sometimes the material suffers from too much cuteness. But there are moments when the songs transcend: Rachel Goldrick singing "I Will Be Loved Tonight," Scott Moreau's tribute to a long-lasting marriage in "Shouldn't I Be Less In Love With You?"

Katherine Walker Hill sings "Always a Bridesmaid" with a Dolly Parton-esque twang, lamenting all the ugly bridesmaid dresses she was forced to wear at her friends' weddings - and celebrating her singleness. And William Diggle gives a top-notch job with the comedic "Tear Jerk," singing about how he'd rather see a guy flick with lots of shoot-outs and car chase scenes...then winds up crying at a "chick flick" with his girlfriend.

Just as Goldrick and Moreau skillfully put across their ballads, Hill and Diggle put across their humorous narrative songs, acting them out as they sing. This is a talented quartet, approaching the material with freshness and enthusiasm. They are best at playing characters in their 20s and 30s; their older characters are much weaker and less believable, as the actors resort to stereotypes.

A special mention should be made of Goldrick's monologue, "The Dating Life of Rose Ritz," in which she portrays a rainbow of emotions, including spunk, anger, disappointment, wistfulness and vulnerability. It's a great piece of acting.

Pianist Loren Strickland and violinist Janie Spangler provide the evening's accompaniment, performing on-stage on a raised platform. Their playing is exceptional.

I was sometimes frustrated by director Paul Bernier's staging. Though I had a seat just off-center near the front, there were times when I could only see the back of an actor's head and not their face. I can only imagine how much worse it was for people sitting on the sides of the theater.

And having a screen above the musicians displaying the name of each skit/song and showing a location for each scene was a clever device. I would've preferred a larger screen, though, as this one seemed overwhelmed by its surroundings.

Like any real-life relationship, "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" has its ups and downs, its fun moments and dull spots. If you go into it without unrealistic expectations, this musical makes an entertaining one-nightstand. ¦ If you go

>>What:"I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change"

>>Where: The Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, 1380 Colonial Blvd.

>>When: through Sept. 29, Wednesday through Sunday with selected matinees

>>Cost: special seasoner opener: $35 for dinner and show

>>Info: Call 278-4422 or go to www.BroadwayPalm.com.