The Ottawa Citizen - Theatre Review

Small-scale musical a hit

Ottawa's newest theatre company debuts with a smart, sassy comedy, writes critic Catherine Lawson

by Catherine Lawson [Friday, August 8, 2003]

The cast performs the raucous On the Highway of Love, a song about the horrors of family car trips. At back are Tricia Lackey and Shaun Toohey with Nicole Williams and Kris Joseph in front.

Even with a less talented cast, the musical revue now running at the NAC's Fourth Stage would be a summertime smash. I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change! is a sassy, sizzling entertainment that's been running off-Broadway for seven years. This slick, quick and knowing look at male-female relationship is as tightly written as a Seinfeld episode. It's definitely can't-lose material.

What makes this Ottawa production worth flocking to is its wonderful cast of four. All alumni of Orpheus Musical Theatre Society, they can sing, dance and nail a line of dialogue with one swing of the hammer.

It's a dazzling debut for the Zucchini Grotto Theatre Company, a brand new venture formed to bring small-scale musicals to Ottawa audiences. May this be the first of many successful productions.

Under the direction of Ken Godmere, the pace is lightning fast as we journey through every stage of the human mating ritual. We see painful first dates, the first awkward steps toward intimacy, followed by marriage, divorce and death. Through it all the cast play multiple characters and switch between song and dialogue with ease.

Tricia Lackey's brightest moment came when, dressed in peach satin, she sang Always a Bridesmaid.

Kris Joseph, always good, is best as the downtrodden dad who only feels in control when he's at the wheel.

Lyrics are deliriously funny, with wacky rhymes

Shaun Toohey does a lovely rendition of Shouldn't I Be Less In Love With You, one of the show's rare sentimental moments.

Nicole Williams has a beautiful, expressive singing voice, but she is most memorable speaking as Rose Ritz, a recent divorcée making a dating video.

The script is full of topical references and, after seven years, a few of them sound dated. Kids don't play with Smurfs anymore. Zucchini Grotto has done a godd job, however, of placing the action firmly in Ottawa. The National Gallery, Bayshore and Rideau Bakery all get passing mentions.

It's unlikely you'll leave the theatre humming one of the tunes. They're too derivative to be memorable. There is a hurtin' country song, a tango, some boogie woogie and bits of gospel, opera and blues. No matter. The lyrics are deliciously funny with wacky rhymes in the spirit of Ogden Nash. A contender for best couplet of the show is when the long-suffering bridesmaid, describing a series of disastrous-looking dress, pairs "taffeta" with "laugh at ya."

Although the music is not the show's strong point, it is played in sparkling fashion by pianist Wendy Berkelaar and violinist Scott Chancy.

A brand new theatre troupe rarely performs in ideal surroundings. The NAC's Fourth Stage is a wonderful venue for a one-person show, but has severe limitations when there are four performers, two musicians and a piano. No matter where you find a seat - at one of the tables in front or rows of seats lining the back wall - there will be a scene or two that you won't see properly. It's fortunate that even when the action is not visible, the four performers' crisp vocals are always within earshot.

I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change! plays at the NAC's Fourth Stage tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. with a matinee Sunday at 2 p.m. The show also runs Aug. 13 to 16 at 8 p.m., with a matinee Sunday Aug. 17. Tickets, $25 are available at the NAC box office, or through TicketMaster.