From left to right to: Dave Rama, Melissa Fournier, Stuart Brink, Roxane Delisle, Sam Van Dusen, Jordan Quayle. Chesser Photo

RUSSELL – Life is all about relationships and the Russell Association for the Performing Arts, (RAPA) will be making a great relationship with its audience as they prepare to perform the musical I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.

The group is almost ready to pull the curtain back on its performance of this off-Broadway musical at the Russell High School beginning on Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m., and Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. then beginning again Nov. 15 to Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. The RAPA organizers suggest the play is adult themed and not for children.

The musical production written by Joe DiPietro has been a popular one since it first appeared in 1997.

It has been translated into 17 languages and has played from Los Angeles to London to Toronto and now Russell can enjoy its very own production.

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is presented in the form of a series of vignettes connected by the central theme of love and relationships.

The different moments of the performance depict different stages of a typical relationship from that first date to the rest of a character’s life. While each vignette is different from the ones before, the theme remains the same.

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change features many characters but all of them are performed by a relatively small group of actors, in this case six.

Taking the audience on a trip through all the different aspects of relationships are Roxanne Delisle, Melissa Fournier, Jordan Quayle, Stuart Brink, David Rama and Sam Van Dusen.

The production is produced by Maria Chesser. The music director is Paul Legault, and the director and choreographer is Debbie Guilbeault.

The theatre group has been getting ready to resume its typical two performances a year routine.

Director of the production Guibeault said, “Not too long ago they did a murder mystery at the Russell Curling Club. That was an attempt to get back at doing things and it was very well received.”

Guibeault said she pitched the idea of this particular show to the group around two years ago.

“When the opportunity came to start the show again they came back to that one because it is a small cast, it’s not a show that requires a lot of sets and costumes and that and I know the group felt that maybe this was the right time to do it and get our feet wet again.”

Guibeault said the show normally has just four cast members but that means they are all very busy, so she expanded that number to six.

“There was certainly enough material for six, and it also allowed us to use people as understudies in case someone was sick.”

She said that on Sat., Oct. 29 the group had their first run-through of the play and everything went smoothly.

“It came together very nicely,” she said. “Everyone is well rehearsed.”

The cast of the play throughout the course of the performance has to play 60 different characters from all of the various scenes.

“The cast plays different people. In each scene they are different people in a different circumstance, and a different age. It’s about relationships and all their forms from dating, to getting serious to marriage to children and all the way through to widowhood. If you do not relate to one theme, there is another one coming up right behind it.”

You can get tickets online at www.rapa.ca or purchase them at Russell Food, Pronto or Tuque de Broue Brewery in Embrun.