I Do! I Do! is, like Love Letters, a very personal experience. Each production takes on much of the personality, and interpretation, of the players and director. Patio Playhouse's current production is under the directorial leadership of Jay Mower and stars recent newlyweds Cheryl and Sam Warner. Add choreographer Kathleen "Kat" Perhach, music director Marianne Kripps, and the talents of accompanist Dylan Snodgrass, and Patio has a winner.
Jay Mower's interpretation of I Do! I Do! is lively and downright athletic. His direction moves the cast with purpose and dynamism. Very little action takes place on the upstage center four-poster, except as a dance platform -- a stage on the stage. Choreographer Perhach has the talented couple waltzing on every inch of open stage, cavorting on the bed and the chest at the foot of the bed. Musical director Marianne Kripps tailors many of the arrangements to complement the Warners' singing styles, while the latter lend deliciously poignant meaning to Tom Jones' lyrics.
Cheryl and Sam Warner, who have played together in many shows, were married last spring on a theater stage. They bring a very special intimacy to Agnes and Michael as they move through a 50-year journey from wedding day to life in their seventies. Sam and Cheryl's voices blend and contrast, accenting Agnes' and Michael's many changes through the years. Cheryl offers a new sense of comedy -- a la early Carol Burnett -- that we had not seen in her many previous performances. Her glare is deadly, her smile infectious, her look of love pure sweetness. Her reaction to an insensitive remark by Michael absolutely pulverizes his argument -- if only hubby would understand.
Sam's Michael draws on a combination of compassion and bravado. At times he's the perfect foil to Cheryl's broad humor and moments later all bluster and steam when Agnes has the audacity to threaten his authority as the man, therefore the power, in the house. Together in dialogue and song, they're a pleasure to watch as the ages and seasons change their roles, their outlook on life, on each other, and on themselves. Director Mower and the Warners have created a well paced show, where pauses have strong impact and quickly cutting remarks and visual asides keep the beat going, whether via acts of anger or of love.
Accompanist Dylan Snodgrass, responsible for the musical timing, is a dynamic third party throughout the production. Costumer Arlene Darden's designs define the period, early 1900s to the `50s and `60s. Only two people, but so many costumes -- and Darden is obviously up to the challenge. Kevin Jones designed the makeup, a key element in Cheryl and Sam's aging process. Lighting designer Dick Gant offers an amazing lighting variety, giving the set distinctive playing areas and needed intimacy in some scenes. Richard Brousil and Sam Warner are responsible for a simple set that, while dominated by the four-poster, includes all of the elements needed for the production. The design allows the accompanist to be upstage of the bed û- an unseen (draped in muslin) third party. Set pieces included both feminine and masculine dressers, establishing clearly and effectively the boundaries of Agnes and Michael.
This very physical I Do! I Do! has audience members stating "I'm tired, physically exhausted" and "I don't know where they get the energy!" Don't miss this chance to see both Mower and the Warners at their very best.
