Musical Theatre / I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. Free-Rain Theatre Company at ACT Hub, until September 5. Reviewed by IAN McLEAN

This was a clever, witty, fast-paced production, performed by a multi-talented ensemble cast and supported by fine music and technical prowess.

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change was originally written in 1995 and became the second-longest running Off-Broadway musical ever. It was updated in 2018 to reflect contemporary relationships so now dating apps, online dating and same-sex couples are included as, through a series of vignettes and songs, the show traces relationships, happy and sad, from first dates to marriage, arrival of families, dating in later life and funeral attendance.

The 6-member cast play a total of 58 different characters and play each one superbly. To carry it off, the actors need to be somewhat over the top with characterisations, have the ability to act with their eyes and bodies along with their spoken dialogue, singing voices and movement, as well as be frantically paced with costume changes and with the ability to become an alternative persona in the flash of a second.

Amelia Andersson-Nickson, Deborah O’Toole, Connor McNaught, Sam Thomson, David Pearson and Sarah Copley possess those qualities in spades, both individually and collectively. With their many talents, the performers convey joy, frustration, sadness and humour seemingly effortlessly, enabling the audience to live, for a moment, captured within every varied emotion being portrayed on stage.

Amongst many highlights were Men Who Talk and Women Who Pretend They are Listening, When a Man Texts a Woman, The Family That Drives Together, Waiting, Shouldn’t I Be Less in Love with You and an amazing soliloquy by Sarah Copley; The Very First Dating Video of Rose Ritz.

Janie Lawson has made a stunning debut into the complex art of show direction.   Besides drawing fine performances from her acting team, she has adapted parts of the script so that local references (APS and Big Splash) were cleverly integrated, inducing raucous laughter from the capacity audience.

Two talented musicians provided the musical support. In some 20 songs, musical styles roamed as rapidly as the character changes with country, gospel, classical, rock and roll, jazz, vaudeville, swing, blues and ballads all covered with aplomb by pianist, and musical director, Leo Amadeus, and violinist Laura Lay.  Like the script, the songs are witty and pithy (even the doggerel poetry is very funny), an absolute standout is the interpretation of the complicated Always a Bridesmaid Never a Bride, performed with consummate ease by Amelia Andersson-Nickson.

Lighting by Craig Muller is slick and perfectly in synch with script mood and timing, the costumes, designed by Louise Newey, are many, and all are colourful and appropriately varied and practical. Cate Clelland’s set design (with concept by Janie Lawson), is perfect for the performance space and rapid scene changes, whilst choreography from Amy Campbell successfully exploits the dancing abilities of the cast.

This is a great show which takes its audience on a fabulously entertaining rollercoaster of emotions with belly laughs aplenty along with passive moments of quiet reflection.

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