I Do! I Do!
I Do! I Do!
Book and Lyrics by Tom Jones
Music by Harvey Schmidt
Starring Roy Alan and Heather Alexander
Winter Park Playhouse, Winter Park FL</strong>
So many plays take a downer view on love and marriage – after all, what fun is watching to people grow old together if they don’t throw something at each other occasionally? In this Tom Jones penned look at the span of wedded life, Roy Alan (as Michael) and his real life wife Heather Alexander (as Agnes) relive a 40 year marriage in an hour or two of song and dance. The marriage starts off well enough, even if the honeymoon is bit chaste. Michael kisses Agnes’s feet on their wedding night, but neither of them seems comfortable enough to remove their overcoats. But by the third song “I Love My Wife” they’re dancing on the bed, and right after that Agnes belts out “Something has Happened” as Michael paces through “The Waiting Room.” Young lovers always figure out the details. After another 3 songs, 15 years are gone by and things are falling apart. Michael is making moves on a younger woman and Agnes is ready to storm out on her own with a hat that endangered at least three species of birds. By the end of act one, they’re singing “The Honeymoon is Over”, and we’re ready for some real legal fire works.
The really juicy stuff must have happened at intermission, and the second act focuses on reconciliation and relief that the kids are continuing the cosmic cycle. “Where are the Snows?” leads into the blunt “The Kids are Getting Married”, and “Our Cup Runneth Over” reminding us that nothing really matters but the people around us. Yes, Virginia, this show is a bit of a Hallmark card, but with really good music, not that tinny microchip synthesizer stuff. Mr. Alan can tap dance in his bare feet, Mrs. Alexander still has the biggest eyes in town, and the magical Mr. Chris Leavy leads the band, making this another just-touching-enough hit for the WPPH faithful. It’s definitely worth the babysitter fees.
For more information on Winter Park Playhouse, please visit http://www.winterparkplayhouse.org
