Cabrillo Stage launches its summer season with the return of ‘I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change’
Last summer it debuted to sold-out performances and audiences couldn’t get enough. So what better way to satiate theatergoers than to bring it back? That’s what Cabrillo Stage is doing this summer with its return performance of “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change!” The comedic musical centers around four different actors who take on a multitude of roles and personalities in a display of various relationships that cover an enormous age span. For any actor it’d be a tough challenge to tackle such a script, but for the four actors who starred in last year’s production, they’re getting a second chance to mix things up, try new approaches, and perform in the play all over again.
“We’re definitely striving to not make it the same,” says actor Ariel Buck. “We’re remounting a show with the same actors, and we’re able to improve on what we did last year.”
At the helm of the project is beloved Cabrillo Stage actor and director, Andrew Ceglio, who directed the show last year as well, and has his own full Cabrillo Stage resume with many credits to his name.
“It’s the first show that Cabrillo Stage has brought back for a remount, and it’s kind of a first on many fronts,” Ceglio says. “I think this show in particular has to do with what the cast brings to the characters. It’s a really well written show. … It’s a group collaboration to portray all of these characters and we have pulled from our family and friends for inspiration. … In theater, no matter what type of story you’re telling, there’s an opportunity for the audience to see themselves. We don’t really ever get to watch our lives play out in front of us. This show in particular carries such human aspects. A lot of scenes are goofy and tongue-in-cheek, but [at the heart] is our human nature, what we do collectively, and all the things that make us humans. The audience can really connect with these characters.”
Buck, who will take on a variety of characters from a 12-year-old girl to an 80-year-old woman, says the deeper meaning of the play is really about perseverance. “We all go through so many different types of relationships in our lives, and it’s about how we survive and come through all the difficult times, and the happy times, and how we persevere through life, and how different relationships are, and how finding love is so tumultuous.”
Ceglio, the director, will also be taking on several roles—not only is he acting in “I Love You,” but he will also star in the company’s second show, “Cabaret,” playing the character of Cliff. But this is nothing new for Ceglio. His balancing duties are quite fine. Last year he directed this same show and starred in “The Wizard of Oz.”
For an actor and a director like Ceglio, there’s nothing quite like playing several different roles with Cabrillo Stage.
“I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change!” runs June 18 to July 3 at the Cabrillo Black Box Theater, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. For more information and ticket prices, call 479-6154 or visit cabrillostage.com.
