Here's your answer to the oft-mentioned question, "Gee, does anyone produce I Do, I Do anymore?' In Milwaukee, they definitely do. They've taken this dinner theater staple and made it into a big production at the Skylight's beautiful Cabot Theater. The Cabot isn't a dinner theater instead, it's a gem of a European "jewel-box" style theater with two undulating balconies. This elegant atmosphere does tend to "dress up" whatever is happening onstage. However, the basics of I Do, I Do remain the same: a groom, a bride and their marital bed.
Director Dorothy Danner approaches the musical with a sweet sentimentality. The show is set in the early years of the 20th century, but its Norman Rockwellian tone is clearly from the 1950s. The play that the musical was based on (The Fourposter) won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1952 and starred the wonderful and much-missed Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy (who were married offstage as well as on).
In this production, stars Norman Moses (as Michael) and Leslie Fitzwater (as Agnes) aren't married in real life. But they are longtime friends who have often performed together, especially at The Skylight. This is clearly evident in the affection they show for one another.
In essence. I Do, I Do is a time capsule. It gives us a glimpse of the way marriage was a half-century ago, when the word "divorce" was rarely mentioned. This couple takes their marital vows seriously, staying together through thick and thin.
The funniest part of this production is not when the couple is cooing about each other, but when they threaten to break away. Michael, a well-known novelist, develops an itch for a pretty young thing. He explains the reasons to his wife in the hilarious, "It's a Well-Known Fact." As a response, Agnes decides to kick up her heels in "Flaming Agnes." They never go through with it, of course.
Of all the potentially great songs in I Do, I Do the only one that's survived the test of time is, "My Cup Runneth Over." Knowing this, the director keeps things fairly simple onstage as the couple sings this tender ballad. Norman Moses and Leslie Fitzwater, both a bit long-in-the-tooth for newlyweds, try hard to personify the characters in their early years.
Things seem to come into focus during the couple's mid-life phase. One of the show's most touching moments is when the couple, watching their child tie the knot, recall their feelings on their long-ago wedding day. Special effects add humor (especially when Michael begins pinning up his publicity photos around the bedroom). The set magically transforms itself as the wallpaper changes over the years (thanks to projections). The live orchestra, under the direction of Richard Carsey, is a definite plus for bringing new life into this outdated musical.
