by Larry Ham
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is one of the most honored musicals to ever run Off Broadway. In fact, it is the second longest running musical Off Broadway, and has garnered several prestigious awards. The book and lyrics were written by Joe DiPietra, and the music was written by Jimmy Roberts. The show is currently being performed by the River City Theater Company at the Reedley Opera House.
First things first – this show is not for everyone. I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is a series of musical numbers and skits, presented in a vignette style, all about the relationship between men and women. There is a fair amount of course language and sexual innuendos throughout the show. The program says the show is rated “PG-13”, but I would say it’s somewhere between “PG-13” and “R.”
Tidy Gill in “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change”
But, as far as the performances go, it’s an outstanding show. I am always amazed at how the Reedley Opera House seems to find the right people for the right parts, and the right voices for the right songs, and director Joe Hill has done it again. The direction is tight and never drags, the lighting and sound were very good, Glenda Stewart’s choreography was excellent, and Jordan Williams provided the music in the form of his virtuoso keyboard performance. If you’ve never heard Jordan Williams play, his amazing talent is reason enough on its own to buy a ticket for I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.
Jayromy Mercado and Shelby Lynn DiQuirico in “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change”
All of the vocal numbers were performed very nicely, and there were a couple that really stood out for me. Allison Botello’s “Always A Bridesmaid”, at the beginning of act two, was wonderful and poignant. And I really appreciated the genuine performances by Mark Luzania and Rene Mendel in the funny and touching “Funerals Are For Dating”, the penultimate number in the show.
Mark Luzania and Rene Mendel
The other cast members were Shelby Lynn DiQuirico, Tidy Gill (who also vocal directed), Steven Haynes (who was hilarious as several manic characters, including a convicted murderer serving as a marriage counselor), Joe Hill, Jayromy Mercado, Daniel Vigil and Brook Wilson.
You only have four more chances to see this excellent show – Thursday March seventh, through Sunday, March tenth. Tickets can be purchased online at reedleyrivercitytheatre.org, or by calling the box office at 559-638-6500.
If you love local theatre, be sure to check out our new Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast, which features mysteries read by local actors. The first 16 episodes are now up! You can check the podcast out on iTunes and Google Play, and also on podbean. Also check out our other theatre articles and reviews in our Arts and Entertainment section. A new episode went up this week!
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