Have you heard? Geeks wish they were hot. Men love their cars, and don’t seem to call after a first date. And women have to wait in long lines for the bathroom, while men are stuck waiting around for them to finish shopping.
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, the new Bethesda Theatre’s first production, has been playing off-Broadway for, well, forever, and the show doesn’t offer any startling revelations into the opposite sex and the foibles of dating and marriage. But while some of its scenarios can seem cliché, the show’s not really going for depth — instead, it provides a diverting, familiar walk into the territory of love that proves enjoyable when you’ve got entertaining performers and amusing lyrics to go along with it.
Most of I Love You…‘s songs fall into the “fairly amusing” category, and the four singers Bethesda Theatre has assembled often make them even better. Jean Arbeiter, for example, struts her single status with pride in the country-esque “Always A Bridesmaid,” and Timothy Warmen goes from meek husband to the king of cocky in “On The Highway Of Love.” (Scott Evans and Marcie Henderson are both fine as well, though Henderson’s characters can be a bit one-note at times).