Craig Waldrip talks romantic comedies for Stage Door Players newest musical

Stage Door Players opened its musical comedy, I love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, last weekend. The show, running till April 14, is about all of the relationship, love and child raising truths that many of us experience but rarely share. Craig Waldrip, one of the four cast members who play multiple characters throughout the show, shares his experience of jumping from one character to the next, the best way to handle tough situations, and his favorite number in the show.

Q. You are about to take the stage in I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change as part of Stage Door Players production. This musical comedy gets it humor and heart from airing relationship woes that are usually left unsaid but are shared by many, do you think part of the pull for audiences to attend this show is to laugh at their own misgivings and pitfalls in love?

A. I do.  There are so many moments in the show that make you think “I’ve been in a relationship with that person” or “oh my gosh, I do that too!”  What’s so lovely about this show is not only its dissection of the difficulties of love, but the celebration of the small daily triumphs we all have as human beings.

Q. The show is separated into vignettes, was there a certain one that really hit home for you?

A. Each scene resonates in its own way, but if I had to pick, it would be Arthur & Muriel, the elderly couple at a funeral. Their hope and optimism are so touching.

Q. Although you are only part of a cast of four, this production usually does not follow a natural narrative arc and jumps around in terms of what character you are playing and what relationship you are in. It seems like this would be a whirlwind for an actor, what has the experience been like so far?

A. The challenge of playing numerous characters is twofold.  First, we must create distinct characters that an audience can feel for in only a brief period of time.  Then there are the costume changes!  In under two hours, I play 14 characters with 14 costume changes, one of which happens onstage during a musical number!

Q. It seems that there has been a trend going on for some time now of revealing the grittier aspects of love or child rearing all in the name of entertainment and lifting a bit of the load. Do you think that works like this aid in not having to wear such a facade of perfection at all times in these aspects of life?

A. I think, in general, comedy is a great tool to communicate truth, particularly truth that may be hard to face.  If you can laugh at the ridiculousness of a recognizable situation, it can really cast a different light on your own difficulties.  This show does not shy away from the good, the bad and the ugly of romance and family life, but the touch is light and always full of love and hope.

Q. What is your favorite number in the show? And which do you think the audience will react to most?

A. My favorite number in the show is “I Can Live With That”, in which Laura Floyd and I play 80-somethings coping with the idea of discovering a new love later in life.  The great humor and hope in this moment is truly touching.

I think the audience will most react to “Highway of Love”, in which the cast takes the ever dreaded family road trip.  I can’t spoil the moment, but we create a car onstage, and I think the audiences will get a kick out of it!

Q. Time for the Lipton treatment:

1. What is your favorite word? Onomatopoeia, without a doubt!
2. What is your least favorite word?  Chunky
3. What turns you on? Beautiful music
4. What turns you off? Insensitivity or rudeness
5. What sound or noise do you love? The ocean or a river
6. What sound or noise do you hate? A car horn
7. What is your favorite curse word? Fuck.  The sharp, percussive sound is almost delicious in its own way.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Teaching
9. What profession would you not like to do? Waiter, which I have done.  My temperament is not suited to it.
10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? “Here’s your choir robe and songbook.”