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Presented by Noble Fool Theatricals at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Illinois,
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change attempts to capture all of the trials, tribulations, and rewards of the dating process from the first date all the way to life after marriage.
Over the span of two hours,
I Love you... features four actors portraying over 60 characters, who partake in a variety of situations ranging from awkward first dates to dealing with meddling parents and the often excruciating family road trips. Set to catchy -yet occasionally predictable- musical numbers, each vignette covers -in chronological order- all of the experiences that come along with dating and marriage.
In order to portray each of the different scenarios, a very simple set is used. Consisting of two large, sliding blinds set on each side of the stage amongst flat grey walls that angle back to a large, shoulder height screen which vaguely conceals the play’s pianist and drummer, who sit in a small room behind. Each scenario is then distilled down to is most essential elements in an attempt to remain malleable for the variety of situations presented, and to keep the focus on the actors and the situation. This, however, doesn’t seem to always work, as the set is so bare; so visually bland, that the band behind the screen often distracts from the actors on stage. Maybe if a bit more color was added to the set, it might help this. But as it stands, the little color and few props that are used in the set aren’t enough of a decoration.
This distraction is by no means the fault of the actors, whom all do an excellent job working with the fairly weak material they are given. Each of the actors (Charissa Armon, Karl Hamilton, Amy Olsen, and John Sanders) are all very capable at their craft and do an extraordinary job of transforming themselves into a multitude of diverse characters, ranging from a Jewish mother and her daughter; to an infomercial lawyer; meddling “hippy” parents, their son and (ex) daughter-in-law; and an entire family out for a drive. Each actor does their best to deliver the comedically dull material they must present.
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Newlyweds Charissa Armon and Karl Hamilton
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That isn’t to say that all of the material in
I Love You... falls flat, because numbers such as “Satisfaction Guaranteed” and “The Kitchen” are both strong numbers that display the well-honed playacting skills of the performers. No. A large problem with
I Love You... comes down to the appeal of the material. Whereas newer plays in the same style, such as
Mid-Life: The Musical, take material from experiences that everyone will encounter in their lifetime (i.e. the natural process of aging), the appeal of
I Love You... is very limited unless you are in at least your early-thirties and are currently dating or married. It just doesn’t seem to click as well as its contemporary,
Mid-Life. (Which enjoyed an excellent run at this same theater last year.)
Aside from the seemingly limited appeal,
I Love You... also has the tendency to focus on dating/marriage clichés. This is somewhat expected, but a problem arises when the writing isn’t strong enough to do something interesting with it, and the play becomes little more than a series of re-hashed jokes that we’ve heard numerous times on nearly every sitcom on television.
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Cast members John Sanders (center left) and Amy Olsen (center right) are trapped by the nosey in-laws Karl Hamilton (far left) and Charissa Armon (far right)
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The play does, however, occasionally shine when it is able to steer away from the conventional viewpoints on dating and marriage, and tries to offer a new spin on things. As mentioned above, “Satisfaction Guaranteed” and “The Kitchen” both exemplify this.
Early in the first act, “Satisfaction Guaranteed” takes the idea of bad sex and turns it upside down with the notion of a law firm that allows for the legal prosecution of your partner if things aren’t exactly “climactic” in bed. This vignette gets the idea across by portraying a television commercial for a lawyer specializing in the field. The actor portraying the lawyer does an excellent job of delivering a deadpan performance as an attorney who’s trying to cash in on a common problem. This fresh, modern take really seemed to hit the spot in terms of comedy, leading the audience to nearly drown out the actors with their uproarious laughter throughout.
On the opposite end of the emotion spectrum is “The Kitchen.” This number portrays a long-married husband and wife sitting at the breakfast table together. The only sounds we hear are that of a radio set to a talk station and the movements of the two actors reading the morning paper. Not a word is spoken until the wife, after noticing her husband has been staring at her, smiling, asks “What?”, to which the husband replies “Nothing.” That simple exchange was possibly the most heartfelt moment in the entire play, proving that when it wants to,
I Love You... can let go its reliance on clichés and really do something different that hits its intended mark.
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Charissa Armon and Karl Hamilton play the dating game (photo by Tracy Whiteside)
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I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is a good play... if one is in the early-thirties dating scene or has been married for a for a while. Otherwise, there isn’t much here for everyone else.
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is now playing through July 19 at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Il. For tickets, please visit www.noblefool.org, or call the theater box office at (630) 584-6342.
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