MANILA, PHILIPPINES — How many left swipes before finding The One? Is a year-long talking stage acceptable? How to get over being catfished?
With love and romance as complicated as they’ve ever been, Repertory Philippines (REP) takes to the stage its interpretation of modern relationships as it showcases the musical comedy I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change from June 14 to July 06 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium in RCBC Plaza.
With book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro and music by Jimmy Roberts, this comedy musical has a cast of four playing 40 characters.
With book and lyrics by award-winning Joe DiPietro, music by renowned composer Jimmy Brooks, and directed by the First Lady of Philippine Musical Theater Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, REP’s latest production presents a series of hilarious yet achingly familiar vignettes on connection and intimacy, commitment and loneliness. Premiering at the Westside Theatre in 1996, this 2024 staging is set in a bustling metropolis where swiping left or right is the norm — touching on things like chasing that invisible string in this era of situationships and ghosting and reigniting that spark despite all the distractions.
REP’s take on the second longest-running off-Broadway musical features a fantastic and accomplished cast of four playing 40 characters, and all are making their theater comeback with this production. Gian Magdangal, known for his versatile skills as a singer and actor, takes the stage after his standout performance in the 2022 REP production of Carousel, which earned him his second PHILSTAGE Gawad Buhay award as Male Lead Performance in a Musical & L.E.A.F. Awards Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Musical. A long-time REPper, Gabby Padilla joins the quartet after garnering recent acclaim for her film roles in Billie and Emma, where she got a FAMAS nod, and Gitling, which made her win Best Actress award at the 2nd Paragon Film Lokal Choice Awards and 4th Pinoy Rebyu Awards.
Krystal Kane is returning to the spotlight after a four-year hiatus. Bitten by the theater bug since she was 10, Kane is known for her roles in The Sound of Music as Brigitta, In the Heights as Nina, Spring Awakening as Wendla, and Tabing Ilog: The Musical as Jerry. Another theater comeback, PHILSTAGE Gawad Buhay Awardee singer-actor-songwriter, Marvin Ong, brings his remarkable talents to the stage, having previously earned accolades for his role as Toby in REP’s Sweeney Todd and achieving gold record status for his debut album. The production will be supported by swings, Barbara Jance, whom we last saw at REP’s 2023 to 2024 run of Snow White and the Prince, and Davy Narciso, known for the productions under his belt with Ateneo’s Blue Repertory, he may have stepped back from theater since graduating in 2022 but now he tries to juggle it together with pushing a career in Psychology.
An exceptional team of creatives is also bringing this production to life. Assistant Director Cara Barredo, Musical Director Ejay Yatco, Set and Costume Designer Joey Mendoza, Associate Costume Designer Hershee Tantiado, Associate Set Designer Lawyn Cruz, Projector Graphics and Video Designer GA Fallarme, Lighting Designer Meliton Roxas, Choreographer Stephen Viñas, and Sounds Designer Aji Manalo are all on board to join the quest for modern love.
“With I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, we want to give audiences something they can relate to whether they’re a young romantic hit by dating app fatigue or an older couple going through the trials of marriage,” Menchu explained. “Because regardless of the age or stage in love, we want this show to emphasize that despite all the problems and miscommunications, love endures — with lots of laughs and some wit on the side.”
