I Love You Because Synopsi

I LOVE YOU BECAUSE SYNOPSI The story begins with Austin Bennet, a young greeting card writer who has his whole life planned out, preparing for a date with his long term girlfriend Catherine on "Another Saturday Night in New York". Upon arriving to her apartment Austin finds Catherine in bed with another man. Dejected, Austin goes to his local bar, where his brother, Jeff, the eternal bachelor, tries to cheer Austin up by telling him the best way to win a woman back is by being completely indifferent to her in, "Oh, What A Difference". Meanwhile, Marcy, a flighty photographer, laments to her best friend Diana, about her difficulty in finding the perfect man. Diana, being an actuary, tells Marcy that the best way to find the perfect man is to find a man who is absolutely wrong, which she proves through a series of calculations in "The Actuary Song". Jeff sets up a double date for himself and Austin, where Austin meets Marcy for the first time. In an attempt to be indifferent to Catherine, he tries to win over Marcy. Austin tries to tell Marcy of his sensitive side, but continually ambushes himself by bringing up his ex-girlfriend in … "But I Don't Want to Talk About Her". Jeff's courtship of Diana goes notably better until Jeff throws out his back in a bedroom accident and is rushed to the hospital. Marcy is convinced that Austin would make a perfect rebound man, and after trying to track down Austin for many weeks, Marcy finally corners him at the coffee shop across from the hospital, where Austin sits writing. Marcy discovers that Austin is now trying to win Catherine back by writing her the perfect poem. Marcy tries to keep Austin from writing a cliché laden greeting card poem. She shows him that the lack of romance in his ordered and mannered way of life is evident in how he takes his "Coffee". Austin calls Catherine, and when her response is all that Marcy predicted it would be Austin agrees to let Marcy help him. Marcy tries to teach Austin the difference between the clichéd romance of a greeting card and the honest romance of a poem in "The Perfect Romance". He learns well, but Marcy tells him not to send the poem for six months. However, Jeff accidentally sends the poem early. The response from Catherine comes on a post card that Marcy intercepts. She takes Austin out for dinner so that she can break it to him gently. Austin has a bit too much to drink and finally grasps all of Marcy's lessons of saying what you honestly feel. He explodes at the waiter when he tries to charge Marcy too much for dinner. Austin feels liberated, and Marcy feels like someone actually stood up for her. They both feel a way they haven't before, and they tell each other in "Because of You". However, just as their song builds to a kiss, Marcy breaks the news about Catherine to Austin. Crushed, Austin blames the failure on Marcy, who turns on Austin and yells that the reason for his failure is his insistence on having a completely ordered and structured life. This fight ends with the two sleeping together. Meanwhile Jeff and Diana come to an understanding that they express to each other in "We're Just Friends". After sleeping with Marcy, Austin runs home and tells Jeff that he might be in love with Marcy. Jeff warns Austin that he is letting his emotions get the better of him, and that he should keep his feelings to himself. Austin debates what he should do in "Maybe We Just Made Love". Ultimately Austin runs off and tells Marcy how he feels, but she is not ready to feel the same way, and she tells Austin so in "Just Not Now". Austin returns home to find Catherine waiting for him. Marcy wanders the streets of New York thinking about what she has done. The ensemble appears and helps Marcy convince herself that she is better off "Alone". Diana tires of her and Jeff's "friends with benefits" situation, and asks Jeff to become exclusive. Jeff warns her that becoming exclusive will only end

in heartache in "That's What's Gonna Happen". Marcy decides that she does return Austin's affections even though he is so wrong for her. She tells him so in "Even Though". Austin, now back with Catherine, still hurt by Marcy's earlier rejection, and reeling from her tactless attempt to apologize, sends her away. Austin, Marcy, Diana, and Jeff, all deal with their heartache in "But I Do". Marcy and Diana go to the bar where the Bartender and Cocktail Waitress lament with them in "What Do We Do It For?". Austin returns home and finds Diana and Jeff making up. They convince him that Marcy is the woman for him in "Marcy's Yours". Before running to Marcy, Austin takes a moment to say goodbye to his old life in "Goodbye". Austin runs off to find Marcy, and tells her that she is completely wrong for him, and he is completely wrong for her, and he doesn't love her anyway. He loves her because of their differences. Austin and Marcy lead the ensemble in the finale, "I Love You Because".

CASTING INFO

JEFF BENNET (28; baritone to G [optional A]): pedi-cab driver. MARCY FITZWILLIAMS (24; soprano, strong mix to F, belt to D): photographer. DIANA BINGLEY (27; alto to D): actuary. COCKTAIL WAITRESS, BARISTRESS, NEIGHBOR, CHINESE FOOD RESTAURANT MANAGER, NYC WOMAN (soprano) BARTENDER, BARISTA, WAITER, CHINESE FOOD RESTAURANT WAITER, NYC MAN (bari-tenor)

AUTHOR NOTES

When we began work on I LOVE YOU BECAUSE one of us was about to get engaged and the other had recently become single. The obvious question arose, "How does one get from one place to the other? And in New York City of all places?" We talked about it endlessly, with each other, our friends, or strangers in bars, until finally a good friend suggested that we read PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. It immediately struck us with its sophistication, emotional honesty, and humanity. It didn't have a naïve or antiquated view on love, but instead presented love as a complex and difficult prospect that takes knowing who you are, as much as it takes knowing who you are looking for. We began work on updating the piece and changing the genders, and inserting our own experiences until I LOVE YOU BECAUSE took on a life and a story of its own. However, what remains of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is what attracted us to the story in the first

place; the notion that in order to find love you must move past your preconceived notions of what love is going to be for you and embrace all of its surprises, both good and bad. Because it's easy to say, "I love you anyway," but hard and all the more rewarding to say, "I love you because". RYAN CUNNINGHAM and JOSHUA SALZMAN

AUTHOR INFO

RYAN CUNNINGHAM (Book and Lyrics) is a native of Needham, MA, and he holds a B.A. in Theatre and Graphic Design from the University of Notre Dame and an M.F.A. from NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. At Notre Dame Ryan wrote the book to CHANCE AT LOVE with Composer/Lyricist Tommy Curtin, which toured nationally in the summer of 2001. With Composer Joshua Salzman he wrote the book and lyrics for the Off-Broadway musical I LOVE YOU BECAUSE, for which he received a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Lyrics. Current projects include QUEEN ESTHER, a family musical based on the Jewish holiday of Purim, and an untitled song cycle. Also with Joshua Salman, he makes his television writing debut this year creating songs for Disney's JOHNNY AND THE SPRITES, starring John Tartaglia. Ryan is a member of The Dramatists Guild and the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop.

JOSHUA SALZMAN (Music) is the composer of I LOVE YOU BECAUSE. Current projects include QUEEN ESTHER, a family musical based on the Jewish holiday of Purim, and an untitled song cycle. With Ryan Cunningham, he makes his television writing debut this year creating songs for Disney's JOHNNY AND THE SPRITES, starring John Tartaglia. Joshua holds an M.F.A. from NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program and degrees in composition and music education from Muhlenberg and Moravian Colleges. He has served in the music departments of WICKED and ALL SHOOK UP and is currently on faculty at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Memberships include: The Dramatists Guild, AFM Local 802 and the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop.

ORCHESTRAL INFO

(5 musicians) Piano/Conductor Electric keyboard Reed (Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Oboe) Bass (Acoustic and Electric) Drums/Percussion