Noble Fool addresses digital age relationships

Noble Fool Theatricals will stage I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles through July 19.

Artistic director John Gawlik said the show runs the relationship gamut.

"It is all about from first dates to marriage and through old age and how men and women interact with each other," Gawlik said. "There are some wonderful pieces in there that are really heartfelt."

Actors Charissa Armon, Karl Hamilton, Amy Olsen and John Sanders form the cast in the musical, comical celebration that focuses on the fun and foibles of dating, romance, marriage, in-laws and family.

The show was written by playwright/lyricist Joe DiPietro and composer Jimmy Roberts. It originally opened in 1996.

The show was written for audiences 18 and older, according to Gawlik, and appeals to both men and women.

"There is honesty within the pieces that everybody can relate to. ... Anybody on that level will see something from the awkward first date on. It really has a wide appeal," Gawlik said.

The show has been performed internationally more than 4,500 times in more than 400 cities and has surpassed Broadway runs of such musicals as My Fair Lady, Annie and Oklahoma.

Director Tom Mullen previously has directed and produced JOE! The Musical at Chicago Dramatists with Equity Library Theatre. He has been nominated for seven Jeff Awards, including best musical and best director of a musical.

Mullen and the cast have been performing I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change for four weeks; preproduction has been going on for six months. He said the piano and drums create a jazzy feel to the music, and the play is one that today's audiences will appreciate.

The original production began 12 years ago, but directors have updated it to reflect cultural trends and scenarios, such as breaking up or having conflicts through text messaging. Also, new risks in dating have come up as people are willing to branch out into online networks to find partners, Mullen said.

"We have made it more about dating in the new millennium," he said. "Everything has sort of changed now with the advent of eHarmony and the Internet and the world of being single. The way we communicate technologically has obviously made differences in how we communicate personally, as well. ... This show has really been looked at with a magnifying glass to make it absolutely correct for the year 2008."