In relation to discovering real love, it’s not all the time sunshine and roses. You will have to navigate a subject of unsolicited specific pictures and imperfect matches earlier than you discover “the one.” Except you’ve opted to seek out your excellent match through the OU Marriage Pact algorithm, the Weitzenhoffer Faculty of Musical Theater’s upcoming manufacturing of “I Love You, You’re excellent, Now Change” could describe your completely imperfect seek for love.
A pandemic-tailored model of the off-Broadway musical “I Love You, You’re Excellent, Now Change” will proceed the varsity’s Downtown Collection. The present is a musical comedy that highlights the ups and downs of romantic relationships all through totally different life phases.
The musical was written by Joe DiPietro, who is thought for his work on the musical “Memphis” that acquired the Tony Award for Greatest Musical in 2010.
Reasonably than ignore the plain pressure the pandemic has positioned upon the courting scene, director of the manufacturing Harold Mortimer stated the present will lean into the awkwardness of romance within the COVID-19 period.
Mortimer, professor of musical theater efficiency and affiliate dean of the Weitzenhoffer Household School of Effective Arts, stated the manufacturing seeks to seek out humor within the frustration the pandemic has precipitated performers.
“The poster needs to be, ‘I really like you, (you are) excellent, now change — COVID fashion.’ We have got six foot noodles that remind individuals to be aside, and everyone is masked,” stated Mortimer. “I needed to include a lot of what COVID makes (performers) shake our heads at.”
Mortimer stated “I Love You, You’re Excellent, Now Change” presents a novel take a look at the way in which that relationships develop and alter as they mature. The story, informed in a sequence of vignettes, depicts totally different {couples} of their early 20s, center age and the final years of their lives.
OU Faculty of Drama actors rehearse the musical “I Love You, You are Excellent, Now Change” on March 26.
“It is a musical model of the rom-com formulation with an entire bunch of SNL [Saturday Night Live] thrown in,” Mortimer stated. “It is humorous, poignant and hilarious.”
Solid member and musical theater sophomore Taylor Cooper stated the present has components that a big age vary of individuals will relate to.
“There is a music about receiving an image of a penis and, as younger grownup girls, I am certain many individuals can relate to that,” Cooper stated. “There is a music about mother and father attempting to have intercourse and their children hold yelling issues at them. … There’s one thing within the present for everybody.”
This manufacturing will mark Cooper’s, who performs below the stage identify “Taylor Grey,” first main function at OU and her second Downtown Collection manufacturing. Cooper performs “Lady 1” within the musical comedy. She beforehand performed Florinda, an evil step-sister, within the sequence’ spring 2020 efficiency of “Into the Woods.”
Cooper stated “I Love You, You’re Excellent, Now Change” will present the honeymoon stage of a relationship and the way, as relationships evolve, many {couples} uncover love isn’t all the time that simple.
“The title is tremendous becoming. ‘I really like you, you are excellent’, clearly once you’re absolutely infatuated with somebody you are like, ‘Oh, they don’t have any flaws,’” Cooper stated. “In fact, once you spend years and years with somebody you understand, ‘Hey there’s some issues that might change.’”
OU Faculty of Drama actors rehearse the musical “I Love You, You are Excellent, Now Change” on March 26.
As a result of their expressions and motion being restricted by masks and distancing, Cooper stated the actors have needed to concentrate on utilizing bigger gestures and being deliberate with their actions. Whereas this fashion of appearing may be tough to get proper, scholar choreographer Lindsay Alhady stated she was up for the problem.
Alhady, a musical theater junior, stated she’d been making ready for this second since she was 5 years outdated and started taking dance classes.
“In musical theater, now we have the phrases “dancer first” or “singer first” when it comes to singing, dancing and appearing and what you’re strongest at,” Alhady stated. “I’ve all the time been essentially the most snug on the earth of dance and choreography.”
Throughout the 2020 manufacturing of “Songs for a New World,” Alhady labored because the assistant choreographer alongside teacher Michelle Rambo. She stated the talents she picked up from that manufacturing ready her to tackle the untraditional choreography for “I Love You, You’re Excellent, Now Change.”
Alhady stated it was necessary to her that the actors have been capable of deliver the right expressions and mannerisms to scenes whereas being restricted by their masks.
“When half your face is roofed, you lose a lot of the expression that’s usually given to the viewers to know what’s taking place,” Alhady stated. “Including dance into these sorts of reveals and choreography is a useful factor as a result of it is simply one other catalyst of storytelling.”
“I Love You, You’re Excellent, Now Change” is a double solid manufacturing with the Amour solid and the Love solid. The Amour solid contains Taylor (Grey) Cooper, Carter McPherson, Brayden Worden and Jessica Reese. The Love solid contains Luke Brodersen, Jace Appling, Olivia Payson and Devi (Gillian) Peot.
The manufacturing opens at 8 p.m. April 1 and can run by way of April 3 on the Studio of Sooner Theatre, 110 E. Important St., Norman. Performances may even happen at 8 p.m. April 2 and at 2 p.m. and eight p.m. April 3.
Tickets may be bought online, $20 for adults and $10 for college students, and parking might be accessible on Important Avenue.
The two p.m. and eight p.m. reveals on April 3 might be stay streamed through this link.
“You simply get to loosen up once you’re watching it. It is two hours of not fascinated with something heavy occurring out on the earth,” Cooper stated. “And whereas we nonetheless have COVID concerned within the present, it is a method to view interplay with it in a non-stressful manner. It is a breath of recent air. A pleasant joyful chuckle.”
