By Dale King
The musical comedy, I Do! I Do! is remarkably entertaining, considering its simplicity and minimalism. The plot – a story about the first 50 years of a couple’s married life – is sparse on its face, but pleasant in its unfolding. Music rounds out the production, now at the Delray Beach Playhouse.
The show requires only a two-person cast and a single stage setting. And the major component of that sole setting is a four-poster bed in the center of the room.
Delray Beach Playhouse has called on a couple of its own regulars — two actors who are married to each other in real life, Jim and Diane Tyminski — to portray Agnes and Michael Snow in its ongoing production of I Do! I Do!
A musical with book and lyrics by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt, the story spans the years 1898 to 1948, but little is made of specifics of the time period. The focus is definitely on the husband and wife and the many ups-and-downs of married life. Anyone who has made the trek to an altar, a justice of the peace, a Las Vegas love chapel or other similar venue will find the tale intriguing. You may even find yourself clutching your spouse’s hand and whispering, “Remember when that happened to us?”
The Tyminskis — both seasoned performers — are engaging personalities with obvious chemistry. They truly make the audience feel like welcome visitors at their home. They aptly support the burden of delivering some two hours of dialogue and 19 songs. Having a musical trio in the orchestra pit to accompany the performers live is a plus.
It seems a little strange that a 51-year-old play that’s been to Broadway and to dozens of stage locations around the country, including regional and community theaters, would contain a roster of songs that are unfamiliar to the public at large. Only “My Cup Runneth Over,” a touching refrain about love told with the same smooth simplicity as the play, made it to the outside world of pop music when Ed Ames scored a hit some five decades ago.
That doesn’t mean the songs aren’t good. In fact, they help move the story along. The first three tunes – “All the Dearly Beloved,” “Together Forever” and “I Do! I Do!” — all tie in with the pair’s anxious efforts to prepare for their wedding. They sit prepping at two dressing tables on far ends of the stage, then, when ready, walk into the audience to shake hands with the “wedding guests.”
The play touches on funny, but not outrageous, bits of marital interaction. Their first night in bed as man and wife is an anxious affair, but we assume they finally get used to each other. Later, Agnes walks on stage, quite pregnant, about the time the song, “Something Has Happened” is sung.
Potholes in the road of married life begin showing and tension between the two becomes palpable. In “Nobody’s Perfect,” they list each other’s faults in anger-simmering detail. Michael says everyone knows that men get better with age and women get worse (“A Well-Known Fact”). Agnes exits in disgust to later fantasize about what her life might be like if she were a party animal. The tune, “Flaming Agnes,” gives Diane a pedestal for comic, physical humor.
Act II brims with nostalgia, something the couple needs to bring them back on track. “Where Are the Snows?” is a touching, nearly tearful song. A necessary, up-tempo song — something the audience can use — arrives in “When the Kids Get Married.” The tune that features Agnes on violin and Michael on saxophone breaks some of the earlier tension.
The Tyminskis both display abilities honed during a variety of South Florida stage shows, among them, lots of musicals. They appeared together last year in DBP’s presentation of They’re Playing Our Song.
Again, Delray’s artistic director Randolph DelLago commands from the director’s chair. Cheryl Steinthal oversees the fancy footwork as choreographer and pianist Toni Stamos is music director. She is joined by Karen Evans on second keyboard and David Kroll on percussion.
I Do! I Do! runs through Sunday at the Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW 9th St. (Lake Shore Drive), Delray Beach. All tickets are $30 and may be purchased online at www.delraybeachplayhouse.com or by calling 561-272-1281, Ext. 4.