Stage 43’s second show of its season will be a first on at least three fronts.
Its production I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change! is the premier event to be sanctioned by the Coquitlam 125 committee.
It’s also the first time Fort St. John native Chalene Scott will take over the directing reins for the Coquitlam theatre company.
And it’s the first time the society has tried out a musical.
Singing? Dancing? “Yes,” Scott laughed. “They were a little bit scared when it was suggested but everything’s worked out so well.”
Penned by Joe DiPietro and Jimmy Roberts, the musical comedy was a hit with New York audiences; it ran for 5,000 performances Off Broadway from 1996 to 2008 and scooped up several awards.
The plot, as the title suggests, centres around love and is told over a series of vignettes that begin with the first date and end with the inevitable married with children chapter.
“There’s something for everyone to have a laugh at because it deals with every aspect of a relationship,” Scott said. “It’s a lot of fun to watch.”
Six actors are cast in the musical that opens on Thursday at the Evergreen Cultural Centre: Ann-Marie Zak, Kara McLachlan, Ryan Koch, Spenser Dunlop, Rhiannon McKechnie of Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam's Dan Jabour.
On Jan. 20 and 21, Stage 43 will have two-for-one specials for single adult ticket prices.
Visit stage43.org/tickets and use the coupon code “sing.”
For the other dates, call the Evergreen box office at 604-927-6555 or visit evergreenculturalcentre.ca.
Meanwhile, the company will have an open call on Jan. 25 and 27 at the Pinetree community centre (1260 Pinetree Way) for its final show of the season — another relationship comedy called Five Women Wearing the Same Dress.
Directed by Angela Bell, the production will be Stage 43’s entry in the 2016 Fraser Valley Zone Festival and will run in late April and early May at Evergreen. Visit stage43.org.
