Review: I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE at Midtown Arts Center

"Everything you have ever secretly thought about dating, romance, marriage, lovers, husbands, wives and in-laws, but were afraid to admit." This tagline sums up I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, the charming revue that is currently playing at Midtown Arts Center's black box theatre. Directed brilliantly by Seth Caikowski, the show is made up of small vignettes starting with the joys of getting ready for a first date all the way through to a senior couple contemplating the possibility of dating at a funeral.

The scenes are made up of timeless stories that anyone in the audience can relate to. From a Stallone loving macho man who is dragged kicking and screaming to a chick flick by his girlfriend, to new parents so obsessed with their offspring that they regress into baby talk at every turn, to women who are happy to be treated to dinner by their dull dates as they commiserate about the lack of single men worth dating.

Midtown's cast consists of four extremely funny and talented performers, all of which shine in their own right. Leading the charge is Midtown's resident funny man Joel Adam Chavez as Man #2. He is brilliant in the roles that require larger than life characters, such as a prison inmate giving a "motivational" speech in the vignette "Scared Straight" and the Stallone loving macho man in "Tear Jerk." But interestingly enough, it is the vignettes filled with subtlety where Chavez shines. The highlight of the second act is Chavez as a senior citizen who finds love in the most unlikely of places, a wake. Rounding out the Y chromosome side of things, is Sean Wilcox as Man #1. Wilcox shines in "Sex and the Married Couple" which is exactly what it sounds like and "The Lasagna Incident" where he plays Greg, a respectful guy who has yet to make a pass after four dates. He has a charm about him that reminded me of Skylar Astin, ala Pitch Perfect.

Anne Terze-Schwartz, who was last seen as Sherrie in Rock of Ages, for lack of a better term, rocks as Woman #1. Terze-Schwartz had so many solid characters, it is hard to highlight them all. Whether she was a Stepford style wife, in "And Now the Parents" or an East Coast Suburban mother in "The Family that Drives Together..." her mom game was on point. I will say that the highlight of Act 1, came during a song that any lady can relate to "He Called Me" in which both Terze-Schwartz and Morgan Howard shined as mother and daughter. Howard, as Woman #2 shines in her own right, showing a s trong propensity for flexibility, both in the characters she played and literally. She definitely had to tackle the widest age range, from annoying child in the back of the car to an elderly woman who struggle with what it means to date after the loss of a soulmate. And tackle it she did.

The original production of I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change played Off-Broadway for a total of 5,023 performances, making it the second longest-running musical in Off-Broadway history. Ironically, Midtown's next show in their intimate black box, The Fantasticks, holds the number-one spot. Coincidence? We will just have to see.

I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change runs at Midtown Arts Center in Fort Collins through March 4th. Tickets are available at MidtownArtsCenter.com, by calling (970)225-2555 or e-mailing boxoffice@midtownartscenter.com. Box office hours are Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 5pm.

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