Bad dates and breakups are much easier to laugh off when they happen on stage to someone else.
鈥淚 Love You, You鈥檙e Perfect, Now Change鈥� was the latest production by the 杏吧传媒鈥檚 Osher School of Music. Performed in a musical revue-style format, it ran for four shows between January 26 and January 28 at Corthell Hall in Gorham.
There鈥檚 no consistent storyline. Instead, a series of vignettes explore the absurdities of modern relationships. Some scenes are spoken while others are sung. They proceed through the stages of coupledom in chronological order from flirtation to dating and marriage. Even divorce and widowhood provide fodder for comedy.
鈥淚 guess I鈥檇 just say I鈥檓 acting my ass off,鈥� said Taylor Ciotti. 鈥淚鈥檝e experienced little to nothing of what all the characters in this show are going through.鈥�
A sophomore majoring in Musical Theatre Performance, Ciotti had a couple of big scenes early in the show. The song 鈥淪ingle Man Drought鈥� let Ciotti vent about a miserable dinner date.
Ciotti鈥檚 disappointments continued into the bedroom a few scenes later. The tryst was staged as an infomercial, complete with a fast-talking pitchman who promises that all parties will be compensated if not fully satisfied.
While the comedy elements were over-the-top, the sexual content was handled discretely and without nudity. An intimacy coordinator worked with the actors during rehearsal to set clear boundaries. Ciotti appreciated the respect that was shown to them.
鈥淪he worked all of that out with us so there are no surprises in what we do,鈥� Ciotti said. 鈥淓verything has been practiced and rehearsed and discussed so both of us are comfortable with each other on stage.鈥�
Rita Micklus faced a different challenge. As a senior in the Musical Theatre program, she鈥檚 only slightly older than Ciotti, but Micklus鈥� roles required her to act a full generation older to play a middle-aged wife with kids. Memories of her parents helped her get into character for a scene about keeping the peace on a family vacation.
鈥淚 grew up in a family where we went on a lot of road trips,鈥� Micklus said. 鈥淲e drove from Machias up in Downeast Maine to Florida. So that is more of a personal experience kind of thing.鈥�
Micklus was able to show her range elsewhere in the show by envisioning an alternate future for herself. In the song 鈥淎lways a Bridesmaid,鈥� she wrestled with her feelings about remaining single while her friends got married and started families. Micklus performed her part as written, but another wedding scene strayed from the script to account for the changing times.
鈥淭he original Act One finale is a bride and a groom and we brought it to 2024 by having two brides,鈥� said director Ed Reichert. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one example where we鈥檙e trying to make it more relevant.鈥�
All of the couples in the show were heterosexual when it premiered in 1996 at an off-Broadway theater in New York City. The dialogue retains references to Clinton-era celebrities like Sharon Stone and Sylvester Stallone. A character鈥檚 obsession with the 1980 movie 鈥淐addyshack鈥� is the butt of an extended joke.
Other parts of the script allow for tinkering to keep the show fresh. The USM production inserted Maine landmarks into lines that originally mentioned New York-area geography. Characters shop at the Hannaford supermarket chain and pay a visit to the Maine State Prison.
One of the biggest changes from the original production is the size of the ensemble. The show was designed for a four-person cast. As a vocal coach at the Osher School, Reichert wanted to afford as many opportunities as possible for his students. He remixed the scenes to accommodate 17 performers.
鈥淎 lot of us are friends with each other in the program because we鈥檙e so small,鈥� Micklus said. 鈥淚t helps that we already have those connections with each other, so it makes playing and interacting with each other a lot easier.鈥�
Their level of trust was especially important in some of the more vulnerable moments, like reaching out for a first kiss or dancing seductively with a feathered boa. If the action on stage felt awkwardly earnest, that was the point. And Reichert predicted the feeling would linger for any lovebirds in the audience.
鈥淭here鈥檚 that ride in the car home afterwards,鈥� Reichert said and imagined their conversation. 鈥溾�業s that what鈥檚 going to happen to us? Are we going to be like that?鈥欌��
More romantic hijinks are on the way from Reichert鈥檚 students at the Osher School. In advance of Valentine鈥檚 Day, they鈥檒l perform a concert titled on Saturday, February 10, at 2 p.m. in Corthell Hall.