I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change The comely young things in Steven Eubank and Daniel Doss' crisp, exciting production of this shticky musical manage a kinda-sorta triumph over a script they outclass. This is one of those revues packed with songs and sketches on a theme — in this case, dating and marriage. The numbers are jaunty but predictable; most climax with a spoken joke just before the razzle-dazzle final notes. The singing is strong, the choral passages stirring, and the piano accompaniment by musical director Doss wholly satisfying. It's the American Heartland Theatre with a sex life. Through Feb. 23 at Just Off Broadway Theatre, 3051 Central, 800-838-3006. (Alan Scherstuhl) (Reviewed in our February 7 issue.)
Nine Inspired by Fellini's 8 1/2, Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit's musical Nine details a great director's great crack-up, charting not only his failure to come up with a script worth shooting but also his attempts to free himself from from a host of earthly dilemmas. The stage teems with women who satellite about Guido Contini (Tim Cormack, who attacks his numbers with clarity and muscle). Some he romances; some he casts; most spill from one category into others. The result is a hard-eyed look at male narcissism, but with torch songs, showstoppers and some stabs at real feeling. Most of this tricky material is pulled off by the Barn Players: the ensemble singing is excellent, and Laura Jacobs and Melissa Anderson are inspired in a pair of spotlight numbers. Through February 28 at the Barn Players, 6219 Martway in Mission, 913-432-9100.