I Love You You’re Perfect Now Change is a series of song/story vignettes covering all aspects of love. The actors play various characters in a Forbidden Broadway style of quick changes and varying accents. From meeting someone at a funeral to a TV style advert on how to guarantee your husband gives you an orgasm (or your money back), this covers just about every scenario you can think of for a relationship.
The amazing thing about this production of I Love You You’re Perfect Now Change is its cast of established West End performers. It is rare to find such a well regarded cast in a very small production. Gina Beck is widely known for her role as Glinda in Wicked (London and US Tour) as well as playing Christine in Phantom of the Opera and Cosette in Les Miserables. Julie Atherton and Simon Lipkin both starred in the original London cast of Avenue Q in 2006 and have had fruitful careers since. Samuel Holmes is best know for his recent part in the Monty Python Live (Mostly) arena shows and his role in the UK tour of Spamalot.
Casting for a show like this is vital, as if you don’t have people with quick wit and humour then the show could quite easily fall on its face. Luckily, this production has some of London’s great comedy performers. Julie Atherton is hilarious (as always), with her very dry sense of humour. Simon Lipkin really lets rip in some of the intense scenes and Samuel Holmes has a quieter, more natural humour. The stand out performer in this show has to be Gina Beck, leaving the bubble well behind her and showing her acting is as versatile as her voice. Her rollercoaster vocal range is impressive and this show really lets her brilliant acting skills shine through. Whilst the majority of the cast were spot on with their various accents, there were a couple of slip ups but on the whole perfectly executed.
Above the Arts Theatre is a fairly new space (Above the Arts Theatre in Covent Garden) which is mostly used for cabaret style shows. This production works well in the small space and is great to see the actors up close. A larger staged production could also be fun to see.
I Love You You’re Perfect Now Change is not an uncommon show to see performed but what makes this version stand out is its incredible cast and talent.
Don’t miss out. I Love You You’re Perfect Now Change is playing at Above The Arts Theatre until 18 July 2015. Click here for tickets.
Reviewed by West End Wilma
Photo: Piers Foley