Don’t ‘Change’ a thing
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- June
- 26
It would be easy to dismiss “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” — now in an excellent production at Westchester Broadway Theatre in Elmsford — as a sweet little confection.

After all, it has been called “Seinfeld set to music,” and wasn’t “Seinfeld” a show about nothing?
But this charming revue is about something big, modern life, which often disguises itself as a lot of little things: first dates, first kisses, wedding vows, raising kids and growing old together.
Director Charles Repole sees to every detail, assembling a uniformly excellent cast — Jonathan Rayson, Courtney Balan, Noel Molinelli and Travis Taber, who stepped in for an ailing Frank Vlastnik at the press opening.
Each player gets his or her moment to shine and makes the most of it: Taber as a guy dragged to a chick flick, Molinelli in another awful bridesmaid’s dress, Rayson as an old man marveling at his love for his wife and Balan as a divorcee dipping her toe into the world of video dating.
Balan’s second-act turn, in “The Very First Dating Video of Rose Ritz,” is nothing short of spectacular, a monologue that is as honest and bare and affecting as you’re likely to find on any stage. It comes as a revelation, sneaking up on us after an evening of laughs.
Balan, a Broadway veteran (“Cry Baby”) is a prodigious talent, as sure of her craft as her character is unsure of herself. She takes her time, finds just the right meter, isn’t afraid of silence — and nails it.
“Rose Ritz” comes on the heels of another standout moment in an evening chock full of them: Rayson’s “Shouldn’t I Be Less in Love with You?” a tender, romantic and impeccably delivered song.
There are plenty of laughs, as in “On the Highway of Love,” when the cast, in rolling office chairs, takes a car ride from hell.
Even when they’re not in office chairs, they glide from one scene to the next on Steve Loftus’ impressive set — a sleek, streamlined creation with panels that slide open to send set pieces out on wagons. Aided by Andrew Gmoser’s efficient and effective lighting plot, scenes shift on a dime, as the cast of four dons one remarkable Donald Birely costume after another.
The two-person pit, musical director John Daniels on piano and Sara Molina on violin, plays from a perch above the action. The simple arrangements put the lyrics front and center.
Every aspect, every department fits together flawlessly.
“I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” ran 12 years at the Westside Theatre, making it Off-Broadway’s longest-running musical.
Joe DiPietro’s book and lyrics and are clever, witty and spot on. In the wickedly funny “Always a Bridesmaid,” acted with just the right tone by Molinelli, DiPietro rhymes “taffeta” with “laugh at ya.”
Jimmy Roberts’ musical styles are eclectic — from country to soft-shoe to tango.
“I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” will not change your life, but it might make you look at it a bit differently.
You might find yourself reaching for your spouse’s hand as you make your way to the car.
You’ll love It.
It’s perfect.
Now call.
Photo by John Vecchioli: Clockwise from bottom left: Courtney Balan, Noel Molinelli, Jonathan Rayson and Travis Tabor performing “On the Highway of Love.”
“I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change”
Where: Westchester Broadway Theatre, 1 Broadway Plaza, Elmsford.
When: Through Aug. 2. Thursdays through Sundays (with selected Wednesday matinees and evenings). Wednesday and Thursday matinees, with lunch at 11:30 a.m. and show at 1 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday evenings, with dinner at 6 and show at 8. Sunday matinees, with lunch at noon and show at 1:30 p.m. Sunday evenings, with dinner at 5 p.m. and show at 7.
Tickets: $60-$73 plus tax, depending on the performance. Discounts for groups of 20 or more, and for children, students and seniors at certain performances.
Call: 914-592-2222.
Web: www.broadwaytheatre.com.
35 years, 1 sweet deal
WBT marks its 35th anniversary — “Kiss Me, Kate” opened the theater on July 9, 1974 — with a sweet ticket deal. From July 2 through July 10, anyone paying full price ($73) for one ticket to “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” can get a second ticket for the original “Kiss Me, Kate” price of $10.95. That price includes a served meal and the show.



Peter D. Kramer






