I’ve often heard SEDOS referred to as the best that London amateur dramatics has to offer – providing shows of a quality which matches professional productions. And I have to say, I now agree with all that I’ve heard.
‘I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change’ is the second longest running off- Broadway musical, and SEDOS brought it to life in London with an extremely strong and talented cast. The show looks at what happens when men and women try to find a meaningful relationship, and the many directions a couple can go! It is made up of a collection of short scenes portraying different couples at different stages in a relationship.
The cast swap and change who they are acting alongside, so that a greater diversity of couples can be presented. Overall it is a fun and comical production, and the actors seem to enjoy themselves as much as the audience.
One of my favourite songs was Claire Linney and Dan Saunders’ duet ‘Not Tonight, I’m Busy, Busy, Busy’. These two really stood out to me as exceptional actors, and they helped get the show off to a really strong start. There is also an array of gorgeous voices amongst the cast, and I think that voices and songs were very well matched. Whilst most of the music was lively and upbeat, I was also pleasantly surprised by the emotive ‘Shouldn’t I be less in love with you?’ – sung beautifully by Brice Sedgwick.
Many of the scenes demonstrated all that can go wrong in a relationship, but this was one of the numbers which showed just how right they can go. It was a nice change of pace and left me wondering why my fiancé never sings so romantically to me like that (!).
The show was entirely acoustic and director Emma Leaver has explained that this was done to help the audience feel less distanced from the performers. Some of them weren’t quite as strong vocally as others, and so it did mean the odd word was lost in the music. It did of course also make the show feel a bit more like an amateur production, but overall I think it does work in creating a feeling of intimacy and connection with the audience.
I think most of us are fascinated by relationships and what on earth makes them works, and the fact that this musical doesn’t have a single underlying plot means it moves quickly and incites a renewed sense of intrigue and excitement every five minutes!
Reviewed by Rachel Callaghan
@WIAAProductions
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is playing at the Bridewell Theatre until 12 March 2016