Meet the main cast of I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change

GianMagdangalandMarvinOngheadlineILoveYou,You'rePerfect,NowChangePhoto/s:RepertoryPhilippines

What’s remarkable about the play I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is how relatable it is.

The show is a crowd favorite such that it is the second longest-running Off-Broadway musical. It has been running for almost 30 years.

The funny and touching stage production is about love, loss, commitment, and intimacy across ages and genders.

Said its creator, Joe Di Pietro, in an interview with The Associated Press,"This was definitely a show where, as we wrote it, we realized more and more that what struck a cord was the universality of it. Everyone needs to relate to it in a certain way."

DiPietro, who won a Tony for in 2010, excitedly recalled how delighted the audience was during the show’s first staging in New Jersey in 1996—a woman in the audience even screamed, "This is my life!"

The beloved musical presents a collection of unconnected humorous sketches about desperate singles, awkward dating, eventful marriages, enduring romances and everything in between.

The American playwright added, "I’ve had more than one person come up to me and say, 'That sketch you got from my life.’"

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I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change on local stage

Luckily for Filipino theater fans, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change will have a local run that starts this month.

Staged by Repertory Philippines (REP), the musical comedy will be shown from June 14 to July 6, 2024, at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium in RCBC Plaza in Makati City.

PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) attended the preview of this REP production on Friday, May 31, 2024, to meet the cast and crew.

According to the First Lady of Philippine Musical Theater herself and the show’s director, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, the play is a daunting task for theater actors.

Direk Menchu explains, "It’s a very big challenge for my four actors. Basically the four of them play all 40 roles combined.

"So they keep shifting, as you will see here. So they take you on a journey and they become all the characters in the story."

The four actors will play a myriad of roles, from shy, awkward nerds looking for love to confident hunks and babes, to seniors looking for love at funerals, to gay couples and everything in between.

The award-winning theater veteran further details, "So they change, they have super quick costume changes.

"And they also manipulate the set. So they pretty much do everything."

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I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change CAST

So, who are these four actors who will bring these funny and touching vignettes to the local stage?

Here’s the cast of REP’sI Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.

GIAN MAGDANGAL

Gian is an award-winning theater maven himself, with two Gawad Buhay acting awards under his belt.

The 42-year-old actor has enchanted theater goers in his previous roles as Hector in Ang Huling El Bimbo, as Billy in Carousel, as Roger in RENT, and many more.

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is Gian’s first musical where he doesn’t just learn to play one character.

He tells PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal), "I really need to do multiple characters from start to finish.

"It’s really the shifting from one person to another that sets it apart from other musicals that I have done before."

How is he preparing to play all these characters?

"It’s really looking for the truth in each situation, how I can relate to that character as a person, as a human being.

"We’re looking to understand each type of relationship, each type of situation to be able for us to get the characters correctly."

Thankfully, Direk Menchu is there to help.

Gian says working with her is "like a school."

He elaborates, "Para siyang master class kasi ang dami naming natutunanan.

"You have to be prepared, you have to have your opinions ready, and you have to know yourself, and you have to be ready to bring your choices to rehearsal.

"I was very fortunate I was able to work with her throughout the years since I was 18 years old."

The singer-actor also praises his co-actors, "It’s just a joy working with them. They’re just so generous, they’re very very fun to be with."

MARVIN ONG

Marvin is coming back to theater after a long break from theater.

"It’s my first year back after 10 years of my theater hiatus, so I am so excited to be part of this production," he says.

Marvin previously played Toby in REP’s Sweeney Todd in 2010. He won a Gawad Buhay supporting acting award for this role.

He also had a role in 9 Works Theaterical’s Grease in 2014. He then momentarily left the stage to pursue teaching.

He has returned to this REP production because of Menchu, explaining, "I’ve worked with her ever since I was a kid, and she got me out of retirement."

Furthermore, "I know that when she’s the one leading us, it’s going to be very organized, we’re going to be learning new things.

"And it’s going to be a very happy experience. So hindi ako nag-atubili na tanggapin ang project na ito."

One of Marvin’s characters in I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is a shy man looking for love.

"Wala siyang confidence," he says, describing this particular character.

"He has no confidence in approaching a lady, and he thinks he should put on this stud character. But really, it’s being yourself that’s important."

He also plays a workaholic, "The other character I have that I really enjoy is somebody who is super busy with life, so wala silang time together ng wife niya." Marvin said.

Why should theater goers watch I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change?

His assures, "Number one, it’s fun. Number two, it’s current. And number three, I think it teaches us about life and love and anybody can relate to that."

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GABBY PADILLA

Gabby is known around indie film circles as the exceptional actress in the indie movies Billie and Emma and Gitling.

For both films, she has gained acting nods from FAMAS, Star Award, QCinema, and more. This time, she brings her talents to the stage to explore love and relationships.

Gabby says, "I Love You, You’re Perfect is a look into the lives of people who are dating, people who are with people, and just exploring the different stories where you look into what happens when you are looking for a partner, when you find a partner, when things fall apart, and when you start over.

"It’s basically like life in general but seen through the lens of dating and love."

All that can be seen in the myriad of characters that Gabby portrays in the stage play.

She expounds, "They’re a mix of different types of women, different age groups. But one thing they share is that they all have, their hearts are in the right place, and they just want to connect with people."

She says playing this many characters is a bit difficult, "This is specially hard because each character really has their own story."

This is Gabby's first time working with Direk Menchu, and, she exclaims, "It’s been such a dream."

She expounds, "I just watch her work and I am already learning so much just by listening and watching.

"The reason why I agreed to do this show is because it was Tita Menchu. I admire her so much."

KRYSTAL KANE

Krystal has starred in several stage productions, but never in a comedy.

Thus she expresses,"This is a musical comedy so it is very scary, but at the same time it’s very exciting, very challenging. I am embracing that challenge and enjoying."

Krystal is known for her starring roles in The Sound of Music, In the Heights, Spring Awakening and Tabing Ilog: The Musical.

Doing I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is her stage comeback after a four-year hiatus, "When I got the message to audition, I was like, oh my god, I have to do this because it is Tita Menchu. I’ve always looked up to Tita Menchu."

She adds animatedlyt that Direk Menchu’s experience as both an actress and director helps her to understand the different characters she has to portray.

"She plugs in different ways of directing because of that background. And it helps us put it together.

"We’re not just focusing on the acting, we’re just not focusing on the singing, we’re not just focusing on the choreography.

"We’re focusing on everything because she literally is everything."

Krystal also sings praises for Gian, Marvin and Gabby, "My castmates are lovely. We all come from different backgrounds, but we share love for theater so it’s really fun.

"I have not worked with them in any prior theater productions. It is our first time working together, but I hope it won’t be the last because it’s just awesome."