REVIEW | I Love You You’re Perfect Now Change, Old Joint Stock Pub & Theatre Birmingham

Sophie Kandola in I Love You, You’re Perfect Now Change. Credit: Tyler Whiting Photography

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Reviewer - Roni

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review

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In today’s world of constant media consumption, 15-minute trends and a new viral video every day, you would think it impossible for something really spectacular to fly under the radar. Yet there have only been a handful of smaller productions of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change in the UK since its off-Broadway premiere in 1996, a run which lasted for 12 years. Has the UK been sleeping on a hidden gem? This latest production at The Old Joint Stock may be about to give us the answer.

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is a series of vignettes and songs based on the trials and tribulations of love throughout a lifetime. Starting with the dating world (both good and bad), before exploring the ups and downs of marriage and child rearing, and even touching on finding love at a funeral. There are a large band of characters throughout the show, but traditionally a small cast of just four. The production has also been revised for the more modern era (so plenty of Tinder references to relate to!).

This production is being held in a very small space, but as the show gets started, we begin to see why this actually may work best. A cast of four, plus various bits of scenery and props fit snugly into the space available, but it does make for a more intimate feel, as well as providing an opportunity for some great audience interaction. Set director Richard Constable has done a lot with a little, allowing us to really focus on the performance at hand, with help from well thought out lighting from Paul Finch.

The opening number plunges us straight in to a stunning vocal arrangement that sets the standard for the rest of the show, and immediately showcases the incredible voices at play here. Musical Director Nick Allen has done some amazing work with this cast to produce some breath-taking harmonies, while also allowing each individual voice to shine in its own way. The show feels expertly cast, which isn’t easy with so many characters to play.

Megan Carole plays a variety of exasperated women with humour and ease, but she really shines in her most vulnerable number, ‘I Will Be Loved Tonight’. As she sings of lonely nights coming to an end with her exquisite voice, many a person in the audience can relate to that burning desire to be loved. Sophie Kandola brings more of a sharpness to her roles, often conveying perfectly how tedious and off-putting searching for a partner can actually be. Her performance as a scorned would-be mother-in-law learning of her son’s break-up is particularly amusing. The pairing of the two women for ‘Marriage Tango’ is also brilliant, if a little too close to home for those of us with small children. Director Karl Steele has not been afraid of shying away from the topics of sexuality in men and women of all ages, and should be applauded for the stark portrayals of life’s more intimate moments that we never admit to.

Ollie Thomas-Smith gives us some lovely depictions of the quieter, less masculine sides of men with his roles, ranging from those afraid to make the first move, to new fathers who’ve forgotten how to talk to adults. It’s refreshing to see straight men (in this context) shown in this light, as this kind of reality can be scarce in a world of theatre that seems to be only interested in masculine straight men, or more effeminate men of other sexualities. Aidan Cutler provides the laughs with his more overt depictions of the masculine man, in all its somewhat disgusting glory. His comedic timing is impeccable, and his range of accents and characterisation is admirable. However, there is no scene more standout than his rendition of ‘Shouldn’t I Be Less In Love With You?’, a performance that contains no hint of playing for laughs at all. Both the song itself, and the very short interaction between Cutler and Thomas-Smith during the number are just stunning and provide a real stop-and-take-notice moment. There was barely a dry eye in the house, mostly due to the very clear raw emotion being displayed for the audience.

Overall, this production was very visually and vocally striking. The cast plays their respective parts flawlessly, the direction all around produces a show that manages to invoke almost every emotion in an adult audience that will all be able to relate in some form to one of the characters. Intimate productions of this calibre are rare, and this should very much be treated as the hidden gem that it is. It would be wonderful to see this production continue on in a space for a bigger audience in the future.

I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change is performing at The Old Joint Stock Pub & Theatre until 12 August. Ticket information is available here.