June 29, 2024
As it ran for 12 years from August 1996 to July 2008, "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" (or ILYYPNC) is the second-longest running Off-Broadway musical, albeit a far second from the 55 years of "The Fantastiks." It is a musical comedy with book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro, and music by Jimmy Roberts. It tells various stories about human relationships as a series of unrelated vignettes instead of one continuous story.
Repertory Philippines had already staged ILYYPNC before, as their second show of their 69th season back in 2006. 18 years later in 2024, Rep brings it back as their second show of their 84th season. The creative team behind this brand new staging is led by Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, donning the director's hat for the first time since "Jekyll and Hyde" 12 years ago. Running for 2 hours (with a 10 minute intermission), ILYYPNC features a cast of four triple threat actors to portray the multiple characters in 20 skits, spread out in two acts.
Gian Magdangal's powerful tenor and leading man looks had landed him lead roles in musicals. His past characters had always been very serious and intense, so seeing him being funny and playful in this show (playing roles ranging from a flighty gay dad, a husband waiting for his wife shopping, to a murderous inspirational speaker) is quite a surprise. His best bits here were the sensitive guy in "Tear Jerk," the disappointed dad in "And Now the Parents," and the elderly lothario in "Funerals are for Dating."
The first time I saw Marvin Ong onstage was way back 2009 when he was still very young, as Toby in Rep's "Sweeney Todd" and Juan Tamad in PETA's "Si Juan Tamad, Ang Diyablo at and Limang Milyong Boto." He is already quite mature-looking now, but his singing voice was still very strong. His characters were usually shy and cute, the nerdy guy in "A Stud and a Babe" or the hesitant suitor in "The Lasagna Incident." His best number was his showcase solo song in Act 2, "Shouldn't I Be Less in Love with You."
Krystal Kane had been acting on stage since she was 10 years old, but this is only the first time I am seeing her perform. From the impatient date in "Not Tonight, I'm Busy, Busy, Busy" to the tired but frisky wife in "Sex and the Married Couple," Kane is energetic and perky throughout. However, her absolute most memorable number was the song that opens Act 2 --"Always the Bridesmaid." She was a riot as she sarcastically sang about all those ugly bridesmaid gowns of various fabrics she had been made to wear through the years.
The fourth member of the cast should have been Gabby Padilla. However, she was sick today, so her place was taken over by the swing, Barbara Jance. I must say, Ms. Jance had the roles of Woman 1 (from the bossy mom in "The Family That Drives Together" to the exasperated wife in "Waiting"), as well as her solo song number "I Will Be Loved Tonight", down pat. Her most stellar moment was definitely "The Very First Dating Video of Rose Ritz," where she bared the heart and soul of a lonely divorcee desperate to meet a good man.
Even if the material is almost 30 years old, most of it still worked in the current context, as these male-female relationship tropes are timeless. A raunchy song like "A Picture Of His..." may be uncomfortable for the conservative types, but hilarious for most. There was a gender switch in "The Baby Song" to make the parents both male, and the guest female. The "Satisfaction Guaranteed" skit may not fly for everyone. Based on the loud and hearty laughter of the audience, the show was a rousing success in entertainment value.
*********
I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE runs from June 15 - July 6, 2024 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza Makati City. Buy your tickets from TICKETWORLD (LINK), TICKET2ME (LINK) or at the gate.
No comments:
Post a Comment