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Mouse River Players reveal thoughts about latest romantic comedy

Submitted Photo Stephanie Chell, Connor Donovan, Topher Hodgson and Peg Morris can be seen in the popular production “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” tonight and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Awkward, sassy and funny are three common words used to describe the Mouse River Players’ popular production “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.”

The actors take to the stage at the Arlene Theater tonight and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

To experience the laugh out loud love story and musical, admission is $18.

Throughout the theater world, it is readily said that the stage imitates life.

Before rehearsals, cast members of the romantic comedy can be found exchanging laughs as Gorki, a rescue dog and pet of “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” director Margaret R. Weinert-Lishner, races under chairs and leaps unto the famous stage of the Arlene Theater.

Daring, unconventional and honest, “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” highlights the zany myths of dating, the madness of marriage and the imperfect yet quintessential quest for life-long romance.

“You can make connections in the strangest of ways,” said Connor Donovan, one of the cast members.

During one scene, performer Ashley Nilsen finds herself face-to-face with an inmate.

“When I’m faced with an inmate, I’m literally scared for my life,” Nilsen said. “The scene is very charming.”

In between the flaws and frustrations of relationships are valuable lessons about compromise, acceptance and honesty.

Stephanie Chell, who is referred as “Ma” throughout the comedy, reflects on the play’s constant demand for versatility.

Each performer plays a variety of roles, which provides a wide array for challenges and triumphs.

“Making sure each of my personalities were all different was a challenge,” Chell said.

Not only are the performers required to channel various personalities, singing is another element that tested their commitment to each character.

“There are some incredibly awesome and touching songs that make me tear up,” Weinert-Lishner said. “At the end of the play, there is a song shared between two people who meet at a funeral home again. This couple comes together late in life, which is a story you don’t see very often. A new romance can happen late in life and the song is really sweet. It says we each have problems but we can live with each others problems.”

Topher Hodgson and Nilsen discover the power of compromise during the song “I Can Live With That.”

“A nugget of truth is you have to compromise,” Hodgson said. “In relationships, people can be pigheaded and sometimes it’s best to let certain things go. We may go into a relationship one way but by the end of it you evolve and change. This happens when we take a puzzle piece of our heart and match it with our partner.”

Peg Morris, inspired by Minot theater legend Kevin Neuharth, prepared for her roles by reciting her former professor’s mantra.

“Plays are about the most important moments in people’s lives.”

From being single and hopeless to becoming a parent and proud, “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” chronicles the crises, conflicts and victories experienced during a man or woman’s pursuit for love.

“The most meaningful scenes show the most relatable characters,” Morris said.

Making there Mouse River Players debut are Eric Fetske and Khang Nguyen.

Considered by cast members as rising performers, Fetske and Nguyen were encouraged to embrace a new degree of awkwardness.

“I think I have the ability to be very awkward if I chose to,” Nguyen said. “This was a very fun group to be awkward around.”

“It’s okay to be weird and sometimes being normal is overrated,” said cast member Ashlee Donovan. Don’t try to be something that you’re not because it makes the relationship way worse. You don’t have to be a stud or a babe to find love.”

For more information, visit online www.mouseriverplayers.com.

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