I Love You, You're Perfect,
Now Change

The Westchester Broadway Theatre usually presents big Broadway musicals, in which two dozen or more actors provide the entertainment. The theater's current offering—the hit Off-Broadway revue, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change—may have been chosen primarily for economic reasons. Written for just four actors, the show is far less costly to mount than most. I wasn't sure such an intimate show would work on the large Westchester stage.

But this production, impeccably cast and staged by director Charles Repole, is one of the most satisfying productions I've seen at Westchester Broadway in a while. With book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro, and music by Jimmy Roberts, this revue is packed with laughs. Repole makes sure that his four actors—Courtney Balan, Noel Molinelli, Jonathan Rayson, and Travis Taber—catch every one. And Repole keeps the energy up throughout. This is one smartly executed show. High points include a scene in which the participants trace within moments the whole arc of a relationship; and a "Scared Straight"-style approach to matchmaking. Perhaps the show's strongest song is the country-style "Always a Bridesmaid," sung by Molinelli. My own favorite scene—because it added a little much-needed tenderness—is the "Funerals are for Dating" scene, showing love among the elderly.

(Pictured: Clockwise from lower left: Courtney Balan, Travis Taber, Jonathan Rayson and Noel Molinelli
in "On the Highway of Love," Photo by John Vecchiolla)

Chip Deffaa
Cabaret Scenes
June 25, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org