EDINBURGH 2017 - Review: I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE, C Chambers St

I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change received its New York premiere in 1996, and its subsequent run of 12 years made it the second-longest-running Off-Broadway musical. Its most recent London run was in 2015 in the Above the Arts Studio Theatre, starring Julie Atherton, Gina Beck, Simon Lipkin and Samuel Holmes.

With book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro (whose subsequent work includes Memphis and Nice Work If You Can Get It) and music by Jimmy Roberts, the four-person song cycle presents a series of vignettes connected by the central theme of love and relationships. This was DiPietro's first published work, and it's a sweet, often comical tale of dating, romance and marriage.

Some of the scenes and songs are more memorable than others, but overall it's a pleasant hour which passes quickly and DiPietro's lyrics are often clever. The usual issue with this musical is the somewhat disconnected feel of the scenes - there is no through storyline - and so extra work is necessary in the direction to ensure that the four actors are convincing in the various roles that they each portray.

The young cast works hard, but more could be made of the musical's showpiece moments, especially the catchy "Cantata for a First Date" opener and its subsequent reprisals, as this is probably the element which can give most continuity to the piece. A stronger opener would engage the audience to a greater extent, but the production does find its feet around 20 minutes in.

"Wedding Vows", "Always A Bridesmaid" and "I Can Live With That" fare better, and for the most part the production benefits from strong vocals from a likeable cast. Another plus is that the keyboard accompaniment is fluent throughout.

The minimalist set is effective, though the slant position of two of three stage flats means that cast members not featuring in a scene can sometimes be spotted by those in the audience not sitting in the centre, which can be somewhat distracting.

As is often the case with Edinburgh Fringe productions, it's a shame that a printed cast list is not provided, especially when this information is also not available via a website.

I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change tends to be a popular choice for companies to present at the Edinburgh Fringe, with at least one production usually being staged each year. This offering by The Stodge is - on the whole - a reasonable effort.

I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change runs at C, Chambers Street until August 25 at 9.05pm.

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