Theater Review: "I Do! I Do!" at Legacy Theatre

Stony Creek - The Legacy Theatre is presenting “I Do! I Do! A Musical About Marriage” on their beautiful stage in Stony Creek. The mainstage production that opens their second season will run through May 14.

The book and lyrics for “I Do! I Do!” were written by Tom Jones (“The Fantasticks”) with music by Harvey Schmidt. It is based on “The Fourposter” by Jan de Hartog and was originally produced on Broadway by David Merrick. I went into the matinee performance thinking that this would be the first time I was seeing this musical; it wasn’t until the final scene that I realized that I had in fact once reviewed this less-than-memorable piece.

The story of a marriage is at the center of “I Do! I Do!,” an intimate and purportedly nostalgic work in which the two soul mates attempt to navigate the perils of life The show begins with Michael and Agnes on their wedding day. Their vows behind them, they look forward to spending the rest of their lives together. We watch as they go through their wedding night jitters, raise a family and negotiate midlife crises. Then, after 50 years of marriage, the couple leaves their house to the next pair of newlyweds. The show was written as a star vehicle for theater legends, Mary Martin and Robert Preston, and the original Broadway production received seven Tony Award nominations.

The marriage is set in 1898 to 1948 in New York City. There are some cute musical numbers in the two acts, including “My Cup Runneth Over” and “When the Kids Get Married,” that guide us through the turbulent marriage of the couple. Then there are others that are cringe-worthy in their presentation and tend to make the performance drag. Director Kevin Michael Reed makes a sincere attempt to tell this story of a marriage, from the young couple preparing for their wedding to an elderly couple moving out of their residence.

Music director Cathyann Roding directed choral music at Branford High School for 32 years before her retirement, and earned her Master’s at Hartt School of Music. She leads the small group of musicians from behind her keyboard and the score sounds quite good.

The two actors do their best with the dated material they have been given. Al Bundonis, who served as Vice President of Actors’ Equity Association, plays the husband Michael, and Equity actress Stephanie Stiefel Williams portrays his wife Agnes.

Bundonis is a good song and dance man that brings the often arrogant, but successful writer to life. The actor notes that he is thrilled to be performing “this gem of a musical in a jewel box of a theatre.” Bundonis starred in the US premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webbeer’s “Whistle Down the Wind,” and his other New York credits include “Ragtime,” “Sessions,” and “Tom Jones.”

Williams sings her numbers beautifully. Although her professional focus has been in musical theater, she also has been a concert soloist, as well as an a cappella ensemble singer. She was a featured performer in “Barefoot in the Park,” which was the inaugural production at Legacy Theatre, where she is a proud founder, repertory member and trustee president. A former Miss Connecticut, she holds a BA from Fairfield University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Connecticut School of Law.

There are some charming vintage props designed by Callie Liberatore, including a pop gun and clotheslines filled with baby clothes. The costumes designed for this show “full of all sorts of fun looks” were done by June Gold and include a beautiful black gown for “Her.” Jamie Burnett designed both the lighting and the small set that features the requisite four poster bed, as well as two high windows.

The production continues through May 14 on the stage at the Legacy Theater, which is located at 128 Thimble Islands Road in Stony Creek, CT. Tickets are available at https://www.tix.com/ticket-sal...

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues. She posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. She recently became a contributor to the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column and theatre reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.

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