As the recent heat wave finally broke in a deluge of Mancunian rain, we dodged the puddles to attend the opening night of ‘I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change’, a 1996 musical revue by Joe DiPietro and Jimmy Roberts now given a well deserved revival by 1974/Make Your Mark Productions. Hope Mill Theatre in Ancoats is a perfect setting for this intimate, funny and sometimes touching exploration of relationships and modern love.
ILYYPNC (as I will refer to it to save my word count), is structured as a series of (mostly) musical vignettes, using a cast of just four actors to play the roles of sixty-eight separate characters and exploring the subject of relationships throughout the course of life, from first dates through marriage, children and eventual loss. The writers employ a dizzying variety of musical styles throughout the two-hour runtime and the three-piece band – Tim Power: Piano, Dave Price: Violin and Ali McMath: Bass – are kept fully employed with blues, rock ‘n roll, country and western and classical songs to test their virtuosity. Musical Director Gemma Price even finds time to introduce the second act with an instrumental battle between piano and violin which is both skilful and funny in its execution.
The bare stage, minimal props and intimacy of the small theatre setting focus attention closely on the actors’ performances and given the myriad characters, each of the foursome has ample opportunity to display the full array of their acting and singing chops. Paul Humphreys convinces as both a mass murderer (Scared Straight) and an older man looking at his wife over the breakfast table (Shouldn’t I Be Less In Love With You?). Angela Grady provided pathos as a video dating singleton (Rose Ritz), the perennial bridesmaid (Always a Bridesmaid) and is especially funny as a desperate tennis partner with a good rendition of ‘I Will Be Loved Tonight”. Kit Phillips brings energy to the non-musical scenes and gives a convincingly tender old man during ‘I Can Live With That’. I found some of the scenes at the opening of the second act laboured and though the performers were individually good sometimes they lacked an on-stage chemistry when paired or in a quartet. However, acting flowers this evening go to Dalia Kay, eminently watchable throughout with nuanced gestures and subtle facial expressions that rewarded with gales of laughter and a singing voice which encompassed operatic arias (He Called Me) and blues riffs (Serious Single Man Drought) effortlessly.
Despite running for over 5,000 performances between 1996 and 2008, this off-Broadway smash never really translated its success in the USA on this side of the pond. It was written in 1996, and one obvious explanation is that ILYYPNC only looks at relationships through the lens of heterosexuality with no exploration of LGBTQ+ issues, potentially alienating sections of a modern audience. However, given both the commonality of the subject matter and the universal humour DiPietro and Roberts use in their lyrics, like the US sitcom “Friends”, it should be seen within the context of the period in which it was written, no less worthy and funny for that and able to elicit knowing laughter from any audience.
I was surprised to find that this short run at Hope Mill theatre was not in preparation for the rigours and challenges of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe next month. It would undoubtedly be a success should a transfer be considered in the future, the arch lyrics, excellent musicianship and strong performances make this a show worth seeking out before it closes at the weekend. https://hopemilltheatre.co.uk/
Reviewer: Paul Wilcox
Reviewed: 15th July 2025
North West End UK Rating: