I DO, I DO!, a musical comedy originally produced on Broadway, will be given dazzling new life by local professional actors at the Covey Center for the Arts Sept. 24-26. The show is the endearing tale of a newlywed couple growing old together and discovering the rewards of working through life’s challenges as a couple. This beloved work has been performed around the country and around the world, and one production lasted, not surprisingly, for 22 years. The Covey Center Black Box housed an enthusiastic audience ranging in ages from early 20s to late 70s – a testament to the play’s near-universal appeal.
In the 1960s, Tom Jones, author and lyricist of the play, collaborated with Harvey Smith, who wrote the music for this lighthearted comedy. The product was an unforgettable 18 songs of humor, affection, criticism, forgiveness and lasting love.
Ben and Skye Cummins, both BYU alumni, hold the two-character musical together effortlessly with humorous dialogue, song, dance and adroit use of props and space. Credit is also due to accompanist Alan Sackett and to the director, UVU’s own professor of Theater Stephanie Breinholt, for their skillful handling of the material.
The only drawback was the size of the theatre. This musical did remarkably well in the small space of the Black Box; however, it clearly belongs on a larger stage.
It is regrettable that “I Do, I Do!” was not performed in a larger space with enough room for an audience that surely would return with friends and relatives to enjoy the musical one more time.
