Winter Rep delivers valentine
by Christopher Key

Barbra Streisand, never one to worry about political correctness, once asked, “Why does a woman work ten years to change a man’s habits and then complain that he’s not the man she married?” Playwright/lyricist Joe DiPietro may well have taken inspiration from that quote for I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. Director Mark Kuntz has brought the long-running off-Broadway confection to the Winter Rep series at the Mount Baker Theatre and the timing couldn’t be better. The show opens on Valentine’s Day and it’s far better than a box of chocolates, long-stemmed roses or a treacly-sweet greeting card.

DiPietro is one of the finer social commentators of our time, partly due to his unerring instincts for the way real people interact. If you’ve ever been on a date in the past 50 years, you’ll identify with one or more of the episodes in this quirky musical for which Jimmy Roberts provided the memorable music. It’s all about falling in love, or at least in lust.

Kuntz has recruited a sizzling cast of local actors that will win your heart instantly. Becca Orlowski delights as she vamps her way through a multitude of characters. There are not many young actors who can go from sultry to silly to sentimental in a short space of time, but Orlowski brings it off with aplomb. She also does Joan Rivers better than Joan Rivers does.

To say that Colin Weiss has a charismatic stage presence is like saying that sideways rain typifies Bellingham in February. It’s a given. He can do more with his face and eyes than most actors can do with their entire bodies. Watching him morph through an amazing assortment of incarnations is a wonder to behold.

All of the actors have wonderful voices, but Molly Corcoran’s is the most powerful and versatile. She uses that to great effect as she ranges from operatic to down-home country in a stunning display of vocal gymnastics. She is also an actor capable of wringing laughter and tears from the audience in a remarkably short space of time.

I’ve not had the pleasure of seeing Alex Rumbolz onstage before and let’s hope that pleasure becomes an addiction. He has an endearing and often put-upon stage presence to compliment his sweet singing voice. His bafflement and bewilderment at the twists and turns of romantic love are pitch-perfect.

DiPietro’s script will have you hooting with somewhat uncomfortable laughter as you recognize scenes from your own dating history. But he tempers the laugh lines with powerfully poignant moments that will have you reaching for your hanky. Witness Orlowski’s wrenching solo “I Will Be Loved Tonight,” and the tender scene between Weiss and Corcoran as two lonely seniors who meet at a funeral.

Kuntz designed the wonderfully Mediterranean set that enhances the essentially romantic nature of the show. His use of two stagehands as a silent Greek Chorus and masculine/feminine archetypes is ingenious. The two are played with enchanting grace and style by Mikey Moore and Sophia Scott.

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change may be the definitive statement about dating in a world wherein cynicism sometimes trumps romance. DiPietro gives us a look at both sides of the coin and leaves it for the audience to decide. The show performs in the Walton Theatre from February 14 through March 6. Tuesday through Saturday shows open at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees are at 2:00 p.m. For a complete schedule, go to http://www.mountbakertheatre.com/

The production contains adult subject matter and language. I don’t often enjoy shows I’m reviewing thanks to focusing on photography and what I’m planning to write. I managed to have a thoroughly good time at this one and you will, too.

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This entry was posted on Monday, February 14th, 2011 at 1:13 am and is filed under Theatre. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.