NFCT's 'I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change' Has Crowds Cheering For Love

Love. It's the universal language, the promise of forever, the deepest cut of all.

And it's the premise of "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change," the musical comedy now playing to packed houses at the North Fork Community Theatre in Mattituck.

With book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro and music by Jimmy Roberts, "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" is a series of timeless vignettes that capture perfectly the hilarity and heartbreak of first dates, wedding morning jitters, new parenthood, married sex, and learning to take the first tentative steps toward love again, after divorce and losing a lifetime partner to death.

"ILYYPNC is presented in the form of a series of vignettes that deal with love, relationships, commitment, marriage and everything in between," said director John Hudson. 

The six actors who take to the stage at the NFCT to bring the show to life are equally talented, and each, given their moments to shine.

Jan McKenna, Nancy DiGirolamo, Manning Dandridge, Laura Jones, Peter Nolan and Tony Perza are a tightly knit cast, each with unique talents and soaring voices, and together, their impeccable timing and razor-sharp comedic wit coupled with heartfelt emotion give the show depth and a message that resonates with the audience, from young to old.

Hudson, in his direction, takes the characters from just sketches to real glimpses into the depth of the human heart. Producer Mary Motto Kalich, Musical Director Stephen Gamboa and Assistant Director Laura Jones are to be applauded for bringing this exploration of relationships to soaring life on the Mattituck stage.

From the first tentative, nerve-wracking moments spent primping and preparing for that first encounter, in "Cantata for a First Date," to the laugh-out-loud "Always a Bridesmaid," about the rainbow of ugly dresses that last longer than most marriages, to the trials of first-time parenthood in "The Baby Song," to the heartachingly beautiful, "Shouldn't I Be Less In Love With You," a love song from a husband to his wife, after decades of marriage — to the rousing finale, the show covers every stage of love, longing, lust and lasting devotion.

Even after one woman survives a bitter divorce, she tries, slowly, to begin again, with "The Very First Dating Video of Rose Ritz."

Because all of us, no matter how jaded or tired of the dating scene, no matter how worn by decades of marriage and parenthood, no matter how bereft at the loss of a life partner, all of us, universally, want to believe in love. In the hope and promise love offers. In the glimmer, sweet as a love song, of a happy ending, as two young lovers grow old together and spend their twilight years entwined.

It's a universal yearning as old as time, and "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" perfectly captures the laughter, the longing, the frustration, the singular desire of humanity, to spend the nights, not alone, but loved. Beautifully and well loved.

The show had Sunday's audience laughing and applauding with gusto and as the final scenes unfolded, husbands wrapped their arms around their wives and couples of all ages left the theater hand in hand. "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" is a show for anyone and everyone who's ever believed in their own love story and forever happy ending. Don't miss it.

The show runs for a final weekend and closes on Nov. 17. Showtimes are Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. with a Sunday matinee at 2:30 p.m

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at 631-298-NFCT or www.nfct.com.

Student Rush: Student tickets will be available for $15 at the box office beginning 10 minutes before each performance. These tickets are subject to availability and cannot be reserved ahead of time.

Contact information: Call Mary Motto Kalich at 917-334-6639 or by emailing marymotto@yahoo.com.