| I Love You Because | |
|---|---|
 Off-Broadway Poster | |
| Music | Joshua Salzman |
| Lyrics | Ryan Cunningham |
| Basis | Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice |
| Productions | 2006 Off-Broadway 2007 Off-West End 2008 Australia 2012 Canada 2013 Liverpool |
I Love You Because is a musical set in modern-day New York. It is based on Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice . [1] It features lyrics by Ryan Cunningham, set to music by Joshua Salzman.
Cunningham and Salzman first met in New York University's graduate program in musical theater writing, where they began writing the songs that became I Love You Because. [2]
The show was first performed off-Broadway in 2006 at the Village Theatre. [3] The original off-Broadway cast included Farah Alvin as Marcy, Stephanie D'Abruzzo as Diana, Colin Hanlon as Austin and David A. Austin as Jeff, with Courtney Balan and Jordan Leeds playing a variety of bit parts as chorus members New York Woman and New York Man. All six actors performed on the original cast recording released in 2006.
The first regional production of the show ran from January 17-February 11, 2007, at the Actors' Playhouse in Coral Gables, Florida. [4]
The UK premiere opened at the Landor Theatre, in association with producer Josephine Buchan, on September 19, 2007. Directed by Robert McWhir, the cast was led by Daniel Boys as Austin, Richard Frame as Jeff, Jodie Jacobs as Marcy, Debbie Kurup as Diana, Lucy Williamson and Mark Goldthorp. [5]
The Australasian premiere season ran from August 8–16, 2008. Directed by Nathan Firmin and Brad Fischer for SHOOSH Productions, the play was staged at the Cromwell Road Theatre in Melbourne.
The Canadian Premiere opened February 10, 2012 at Studio 1398 on Granville Island in Vancouver, BC. It was produced by Intimate Theatre Productions. [6] The show starred Sayer Roberts as Austin, Erin Palm as Marcy, Victor Hunter as Jeff, and Harper Smith as Diana with Aaron Lau and Sheryl McMillan. It was Directed by Shel Piercy, Choreographed by Shelley Stewart Hunt, and Musical Directed by Kerry O'Donovan.
The Canadian Professional Premiere opened at the Toronto Centre for the Arts Studio Space on March 30, 2012, and is produced by Angelwalk Theatre. [7] The production is directed by Darcy Evans, and stars Jeff Madden as Austin, Elena Juatco as Marcy, Jay Davis as Jeff, and Gabi Epstein as Diana with Michael de Rose and Cara Leslie.
A special Valentine's production of the show ran from 12th to 15 February 2013 in the Unity Theatre in Liverpool, England. [8] [9] Produced by Lights Up Entertainment and co-directed by Ezequiel Serrano and Leonie Webb, the cast included Phil Teles Amaro (Austin), Lucy Mulvihill (Marcy), Stuart Crowther (Jeff), Katie Jones (Diana), Peter Fendall (NYC Man) and Zoë Evans (NYC Woman). [10] [11]
Act 1
At the opening of the show, Austin Bennett prepares for a date with his girlfriend Catherine, but discovers her cheating on him ("Another Saturday Night in New York"). He tells his brother Jeff, who suggests that the best way to win Catherine back is by pretending not to care. Jeff volunteers to find dates for them and plans a night on the town ("Oh What a Difference"). Meanwhile, Marcy Fitzwilliams is agonizing over her breakup with a man named Larry. Her friend Diana Bingley, an actuary, suggests some "dating rules" that will determine her ideal rebound time, telling Marcy that the best way to find Mr. Right is by finding Mr. Wrong ("The Actuary Song"). Austin and Jeff end up on a double-date with Marcy and Diana after setting one up on J-Date, despite none of them being Jewish. Diana is impressed with Jeff, but Marcy and Austin don't share a connection at all. Marcy reveals that she is a photographer, while Austin tells her that he writes greeting cards, but only as a way of supporting his passion for poetry. Austin is unable to explain this without frequently mentioning Catherine, to Marcy's annoyance ("But I Don't Want to Talk About Her"). Marcy decides Austin is "perfectly wrong" for her. Meanwhile, Jeff and Diana attempt to have sex, but Jeff throws his back out. Jeff's hospitalization gives Marcy a chance to try and continue seeing Austin. Over a conversation at the coffee shop, Marcy equates Austin's coffee preferences with his rigid lifestyle choices in general, and explains her own free-spirited nature ("Coffee"). Austin tries to call Catherine and win her back with an impromptu poem, which fails, and Marcy agrees to help him write a better one. As Jeff returns from the hospital and continues casually dating Diana, Marcy and Austin continue to work on a poem for Catherine, while fighting over details along the way. A bartender and cocktail waitress muse that their differences make them a perfect couple ("The Perfect Romance"). After Austin completes the poem, Marcy tells him to wait six months before sending it, but Jeff accidentally mails it out with the bills. Catherine's negative response ends up in Marcy's hands before Austin has seen it, and she takes him to a Chinese restaurant that offers free wine, in order to get him drunk enough to break the news to him. A series of humorous conflicts with the waiter at the restaurant result in Austin and Marcy skipping out on their bill and stealing a box of wine from the restaurant. Austin is impressed with himself for standing up for Marcy, and thanks her for his acting out of character ("Because of You"). When they are about to kiss, Marcy stops him and shows him the letter from Catherine. He grows angry, and they have a heated argument, but end up having sex. Meanwhile, Jeff and Diana articulate the nature of their "friends with benefits" relationship ("We're Just Friends"). The next day, Austin is ecstatic over his night with Marcy, and has fallen in love with her, though Marcy doesn't know how she feels about what happened. Jeff tells Austin to tell himself that he doesn't love her. Austin tries, but ends up thinking their relationship might have a future ("Maybe We Just Made Love"). Austin admits his feelings to Marcy, who rejects him, telling him she isn't ready for true love ("Just Not Now"). Ashamed, Austin goes home, and finds Catherine waiting for him.
Act 2
On the streets of New York, Marcy meets the bartender and cocktail waitress from her first date with Austin, and tells them what happened. They elaborate on the joys of singlehood, and assure her she's better off. Marcy agrees at first, but changes her mind after seeing a happy couple on the street ("Alone"). Meanwhile, Diana is with Austin and Jeff in their apartment, where Austin has ordered Chinese food. The delivery man turns out to be the same waiter Austin skipped out on earlier. While Austin and the delivery man are settling the bill in another room, Diana tells Jeff she wants to be exclusive. Jeff responds with fear, spelling out the negative impact that would result if they were to be a real couple ("That's What's Gonna Happen"). After the delivery man leaves, Marcy shows up and tells Austin she loves him despite all his flaws, which she mentions in great detail ("Even Though"). Austin is offended by the "anyway" aspect of her love, and rejects her, telling her Catherine has taken him back. Diana, Jeff, Marcy, and Austin sing separately about the hurt they feel from not being with the ones they love ("But I Do"). Marcy and Diana go back to the bar where they had the first double date to drink and forget. The bartender and cocktail waitress remember them, and they all tell tales of lost love in the past, vowing to give up dating. Marcy and Diana have a change of heart, and the bartender and cocktail waitress imply that they were trying to make that happen all along ("What Do We Do it For?"). Diana tries to talk to Jeff, but is interrupted by Austin, who is fretting that Catherine doesn't know how he takes his coffee, despite having dated him for five years. Diana explains to Austin that everyone needs someone to love, and Marcy is his. Jeff also admits that he loves Diana ("Marcy's Yours"). Austin vows to rid himself of his uptight nature, knowing Marcy will accept him no matter what ("Goodbye"). In the final scene, Austin is trying to write a poem for Marcy, but she arrives before he can finish it. He improvises one, spelling out the ways she is different from him, but saying that rather than loving her "anyway" (as she had said earlier), he loves her "because" ("I Love You Because").
|
|
Mamma Mia! is a jukebox musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson based on songs recorded by Swedish group ABBA and composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, members of the band. The title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia". Ulvaeus and Andersson, who composed the original music for ABBA, were involved in the development of the show from the beginning. Singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad was involved financially in the production and she was also present at many of the premieres around the world.
A Brandy Alexander is a brandy-based dessert cocktail consisting of cognac, crème de cacao, and cream, that became popular during the early 20th century. It is a variation of an earlier, gin-based cocktail called simply an Alexander. The cocktail known as Alexander today may contain gin or brandy. Ice cream can be added for a "frozen Brandy Alexander".
Cocktail is a 1988 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Roger Donaldson from a screenplay by Heywood Gould, and based on Gould's book of the same name. It stars Tom Cruise, Bryan Brown and Elisabeth Shue. It tells the story of a young New York City business student, who takes up bartending in order to make ends meet.
The Last Five Years is a musical written by Jason Robert Brown. It premiered at Chicago's Northlight Theatre in 2001 and was then produced Off-Broadway in March 2002. Since then it has had numerous productions both in the United States and internationally.
Closer (1997) is a dramatic play by British playwright Patrick Marber. It premiered at the Royal National Theatre's Cottesloe Theatre in London in 1997 and made its North American debut at the Music Box Theatre on Broadway on 25 January 1999.
The Iceman Cometh is a play written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill in 1939. First published in 1946, the play premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 9, 1946, directed by Eddie Dowling, where it ran for 136 performances before closing on March 15, 1947. It has subsequently been adapted for the screen multiple times. The work tells the story of a number of alcoholic dead-enders who live together in a flop house above a saloon and what happens to them when the most outwardly "successful" of them embraces sobriety and reveals that he has been on the run after murdering his "beloved" wife.
La rondine is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami, based on a libretto by Alfred Maria Willner and Heinz Reichert. It was first performed at the Grand Théâtre de Monte Carlo in Monte Carlo on 27 March 1917.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by William Finn, with a book written by Rachel Sheinkin, conceived by Rebecca Feldman with additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional spelling bee set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley Middle School. Six quirky adolescents compete in the Bee, run by three equally quirky grown-ups.
Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead is a play written by Bert V. Royal.
Bug is a play by American playwright Tracy Letts. Exploring themes of paranoia and conspiracy theories, the play tells the story of a woman who, as she spends time with a newly acquainted man in her motel room, starts sharing more and more of his paranoias. It premiered in London 1996, and was also performed around the United States between 2000 and 2004.
And Now Tomorrow is a 1944 American drama film based on the best-selling novel, published in 1942 by Rachel Field, directed by Irving Pichel and written by Raymond Chandler. Both center around one doctor's attempt for curing deafness. The film stars Alan Ladd, Loretta Young, and Susan Hayward. Its tagline was Who are you that a man can't make love to you?. It is also known as Prisoners of Hope.
Waitress is a 2007 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Adrienne Shelly, starring Keri Russell as a young woman trapped in a small town and an abusive marriage, who faces an unwanted pregnancy while working as a waitress. The film premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and received a limited theatrical release in the United States on May 2, 2007, by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Shelly's supporting role is her final film appearance before her death. In 2015, Waitress was adapted into a Tony-nominated musical of the same name.
Rock of Ages is a jukebox musical built around classic rock songs from the 1980s, especially from the famous glam metal bands of that decade. The musical features songs from Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Steve Perry, Poison and Europe, among other well-known rock bands. It was written by Chris D'Arienzo, directed by Kristin Hanggi and choreographed by Kelly Devine with music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations by Ethan Popp.
The Heiress is a 1947 play by American playwrights Ruth and Augustus Goetz adapted from the 1880 Henry James novel Washington Square. Two years later, the play was adapted into the film The Heiress starring Olivia de Havilland.
Cocktail is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama film directed by Homi Adajania and written by Imtiaz Ali. It was produced by Saif Ali Khan and Dinesh Vijan on a budget of ₹35 crore. The film stars Deepika Padukone, Saif Ali Khan, Diana Penty, Dimple Kapadia, Boman Irani and Randeep Hooda. The film score and soundtrack was composed by Pritam, Yo Yo Honey Singh and Salim–Sulaiman.
First Date is a musical with a book by Austin Winsberg and music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner. Based around the concept of a blind date, the musical made its world premiere during 2012 at Seattle's ACT Theatre in a 5th Avenue Theatre co-production and made its Broadway debut August 8, 2013 at the Longacre Theatre.
Dogfight is a musical with music and lyrics by Pasek & Paul and a book by Peter Duchan. It is an adaptation of Nancy Savoca's 1991 film Dogfight. The musical premiered Off-Broadway at the Second Stage Theatre in 2012, and in August 2014, the musical had its European premiere at the Southwark Playhouse in London.
Waitress is a musical with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles and a book by Jessie Nelson. The musical is based on the 2007 film of the same name, written by Adrienne Shelly. It tells the story of Jenna Hunterson, a baker and waitress in an abusive relationship with her husband, Earl. After Jenna unexpectedly becomes pregnant, she begins an affair with her doctor, Dr. James (Jim) Pomatter. Looking for ways out of her troubles, she sees a pie baking contest and its grand prize as her chance.
Tootsie is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and a book by Robert Horn. The musical is based on the 1982 American comedy film of the same name written by Larry Gelbart, Barry Levinson (uncredited), Elaine May (uncredited) and Murray Schisgal from the story by Gelbart and Don McGuire. The musical made its world premiere try-out at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago in September 2018. Like the film, the musical tells the story of a talented but volatile actor whose reputation for being difficult forces him to adopt a new identity as a woman in order to land a job. The original movie revolved around a daytime soap opera, while the show involves a Broadway musical.
Diana is a musical with music and lyrics by David Bryan and Joe DiPietro, and a book by DiPietro, based on the life of Diana, Princess of Wales. A filmed performance was added to the streaming service Netflix on October 1 2021, to negative reviews.