Mandarin-Language Love/Perfect/Change to Play NY

For the first time in American theatre history, a foreign production of an American musical will play in the United States, when the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre and Broadway Asia Entertainment co-production of I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change opens at New York's Westside Theatre (407 W. 43rd St.) on Wednesday, May 9, 2007 for a limited 23-performance engagement through Sunday, June 3.  The Chinese company will perform the show entirely in Mandarin, with English supertitles projected above the stage.

The musicalrecently concluded a highly successful run at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre directed by Joel Bishoff, who helmed the original New York production, as well as productions in 17 cities worldwide.  This groundbreaking Chinese/American co-production was the first Western musical to be performed there in Mandarin Chinese.  Not just a recreation of the New York show, Joel Bishoff worked with translator Nick Rongjun Yu to incorporate local Chinese attitudes and references, allowing the material to resonate with Shanghai audiences.

This production premiered in Shanghai in December 2006 and has been selected as the special opening ceremony attraction at the prestigious 2007 Beijing Theater Festival on Tuesday, April 17 before the entire company (cast and musicians) makes the move to New York City.  Immediately after their New York engagement, the company will return to Beijing to launch an extended multi-city tour throughout China.  Featured in the talented cast of four is Lin Yilun – one of China's most popular singing stars and the winner of the 2006 Best Male Singer of China Award at the CCTV & MTV Music Awards – along with Yu Yi, Wen Yang and Ma Qingli.

From Monday, May 7 through Sunday, June 3, both the Chinese production and the American production of the musical will each play six performances a week in repertory at the Westside Theatre.

Now in its 11th smash year at New York's Westside Theatre, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change is the longest-running musical revue on or Off-Broadway. The show is the second longest-running Off-Broadway musical of all time after The Fantasticks.  Additional productions have been mounted in more than 400 cities worldwide.  The musical is produced Off-Broadway by James Hammerstein Productions, Bernie Kukoff and Jonathan Pollard.

Written by playwright/lyricist Joe DiPietro and composer Jimmy Roberts, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change "is a celebration of the modern-day suburban mating game that explores the joys of dating, romance, marriage, lovers, husbands, wives and in-laws," state press notes.  The show opened at the Westside Theatre on August 1, 1996. The current New York cast features Courtney Balan, Anne Bobby, Will Erat and Bryan McElroy.

The playing schedule for the Chinese production will be Tuesday at 7 p.m., Wednesday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 8:30 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. There is no performance on Tuesday, May 8.

The playing schedule for the English-language production will be Monday at 7 p.m., Wednesday at 2:30 p.m., Thursday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., and Sunday at 4:30 p.m. There are no English performances on Wednesday, May 9 or Thursday, May 10. There is an added English performance on Tuesday, May 8 at 7 p.m.

Tickets are available by calling Telecharge.com at 212-239-6200 or by visiting www.ILoveYouMandarin.com (Chinese production) or www.LovePerfectChange.com  (American production).